Role of Seven
by Agent Spielplatz
Summary: Not long after Sasuke's defection, Naruto and Sakura's lives are shaken by a series of events that force them to come to conclusions that they never would have considered before.
1. Happy Ending

**Agent's Spiel:**This story diverges after the failed rescue of Uchiha Sasuke (around Ch. 238), this should be apparent by the end of the chapter.

I started writing the original form of this right around the time that Kakashi Gaiden (through Ch. 244) was coming out. I'm trying to follow canon as much as possible up to that point, but a few things have been changed. There will be some mild spoilers, typically in the form of people or jutsu that have been introduced up through chapters in volumes 35 and 36. The only known spoiler for later than this is the Yondaime's real first name. It is said in this chapter.

There shouldn't be any plot spoilers; I'm just trying to avoid unnecessary original characters and my poor attempts at creating jutsu.

Also, I tend to use the phrase 'Rookies' to describe the remaining Rookie 9 _and_ Gai's team. Genin doesn't technically apply to all of them and I don't like using 'teens' more than I need to so be prepared to see this for quite some time even when they are no longer considered rookies.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

**Happy Ending**

Sakura lounged lazily at the side of Naruto's training field waiting for her exuberant teammate to finish arguing with his equally exuberant teacher. The heated argument had lasted almost ten minutes as Naruto tried to convince Jiraiya to let him off a bit early that day so that he could join the rest of his friends. Sakura knew Jiraiya would give in eventually, after all the only reason she had off was that was her sensei had a meeting scheduled with Jiraiya within the next hour. "When do you plan on interrupting?" Neji asked serenely from behind her.

Sakura leaned back and smiled at Team's Gai and Asuma as they lounged against several trees. "Umm…I figure I'll give him another twenty minutes," Sakura shrugged. "Tsunade-shishou wouldn't like it if I sent Jiraiya-sama up there in a bad mood."

"The longer you wait, the longer we have to wait for lunch," Chouji whined.

"But we must wait! We cannot interrupt such a display youthful debate as has been set before us. For to watch the amazing Jiraiya-sama display his wit is a chance that few ever receive," Lee proclaimed.

Sakura wasn't sure she would consider the childish insults being traded back and forth by Naruto and Jiraiya to be a debate, or even particularly witty. Although, she was a bit surprised by the number of different ways Naruto had discovered to call someone a pervert. She was interrupted from her thoughts when she was pounced on by a dog.

"Waiting for Naruto?" Kiba asked, beckoning for Akamaru to leave the girl alone; he still couldn't figure out why his dog seemed to like Team 7 so much. Ever since they had returned from the failed rescue mission, his dog had eagerly sought out the two remaining members whenever they were nearby. It was actually rather endearing that Akamaru seemed to believe the two needed more company. It was also laughable that the dog seemed to feel that he could fill the void Sasuke had left.

"They'll finish their argument eventually," Sakura reasoned, wiping the slobber from her face.

"They'll finish it now," Kurenai assured her, leaving her students with the rest of their friends and walking onto the field.

"How did you all get off training?" Kiba asked.

"Asuma-sensei said he had a meeting and didn't want to see us today," Ino informed her, pointing to Chouji and their temporary teammate, Tenten. Shikamaru's promotion had been followed by a temporary reassignment to the academy to help Iruka-sensei. Rather than cause confusion, Tsunade had allowed Hyuuga Hiashi to take over his nephew's training while Gai was told to speed up Lee's rehabilitation.

"Iruka-sensei told me I was lazy and that I didn't need to bother coming in since they were working outside today. And my father is on a mission so he isn't here to make me train," Shikamaru explained after Ino kicked him.

"Yosh! Gai-sensei and I met extra early this morning so that we could work to our fullest before our day was cut short! And Hiashi-sama was kind enough to let us bring Neji along," Lee added happily.

"Figures," Kiba muttered.

"K-Kiba-kun, we're off for the rest of the day," Hinata reminded him before he could complain anymore.

"Right. So what are you all doing?"

"We were thinking of going swimming," Sakura told them.

"Lunch first!"

"Lunch first then swimming," Ino amended after Chouji's outburst. "You're welcome to join us. We're just waiting for Naruto."

Kiba nodded eagerly and turned back to the field where Jiraiya had stopped pestering Naruto and was now busy trying not to leer at Kurenai. Naruto gave up waiting for Jiraiya to dismiss him and dashed off the field towards his friends. "Let's get out of here before he knows I'm gone," he whispered conspiratorially. Judging by the glare Jiraiya had just leveled against Naruto's back he already knew but wasn't about to stop them.

"Barbeque!"

"What? No Ramen?" Naruto countered sadly.

"You always eat ramen. Barbeque is actually healthier," Sakura pointed out.

"But…Ramen's so good."

"Then get Iruka-sensei to buy you some later," Ino told him before he could argue more. "Let's scram."

Sakura nodded and all eleven young ninja, plus Akamaru, took off away from the training grounds just as Kurenai led Jiraiya by the ear towards the Hokage's office. "Why'd she send you to get me?" Jiraiya grumbled as they approached the large administration building.

"She called us in early but figured you'd be late to begin with."

"Flat-chested wench," Jiraiya muttered. Kurenai glanced at him in confusion trying to figure out if he was talking about her or Tsunade.

"The Hokage's waiting for you," Kotetsu informed her. "In the back office."

Kurenai nodded and released Jiraiya's ear as she headed down a side hallway. Knocking once on the door she entered and bowed her head to Tsunade before moving to sit with Gai and Asuma.

"Kakashi's not even here, why did you send for me?" Jiraiya asked in annoyance.

"Because he isn't here. He was supposed to be back early this morning at the latest. The delay means something happened and I want everyone already assembled when he arrives."

"I'm sure the go-between just distracted him," Anko snickered, gaining baffled looks from the rest of the Jounin and Special Jounin in the room.

"You know the go-between?" Tsunade asked surprise.

"Sure I know her. From ANBU missions," Anko answered dismissively.

Tsunade frowned in confusion before she realized what Anko was referring to and sighed as she sat back in her chair. "So who is this…distracting woman?" Jiraiya leered.

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't like you."

"Eh? Anko-chan, what woman could possibly not like-"

"Tsunade-sama. Kurenai and this woman. I'm sure there are a lot more, but those three I'm certain of. Oh, and Shizune," Anko replied before he could finish.

"Flat chest and Shizune-chan are exceptions to every rule. Kurenai simply-" Jiraiya was cut off again as Asuma pelted a shuriken at his head. "Never mind."

"I thought Rin didn't like him?" Genma added.

"Rin didn't like men."

"She liked Kakashi well enough," Genma reasoned, gaining a snicker from the black haired man Anko had been glaring at before Jiraiya arrived and distracted her.

"My point exactly," Jiraiya snickered.

"Cut it out Jiraiya," Tsunade groaned.

"So are you planning on just standing around waiting for him to show up?"

"No. I'm being forced to finish my work while you all sit quietly waiting him to show up."

"This is such a waste of time. I could have pestered Naruto for at least another hour before letting him go off."

"You're supposed to be training him," Kurenai reminded him.

"He trains himself. All I have to do is give him orders."

_**XXXXXX**_

_**XXXXXX**_

Two hours later, Sakura, Naruto and their friends found themselves near Naruto's riverside training grounds. Naruto had immediately gotten his friends as wet as possible before they even touched the river. He had then proceeded to use his clones to lure in Neji and Ino; the former was – in Naruto's opinion – being a tight ass, the latter was busy getting a tan. Okay so he hadn't so much lured them in as jumped them and then tossed them into the river and he wouldn't have succeeded if he hadn't been able to convince Shikamaru to restrain Neji but it was still worth it. And so once all eleven ninja and one nin dog were in the river they were finally able to begin enjoying themselves. For about five minutes.

"Hey," Naruto suddenly stilled. "What's that?"

"Out! Get out!" Sakura shouted following his gaze and noticing the three objects speeding towards them in the water. The Rookies quickly spilled back out of the water and gaped as the water sharks broke onto shore before dissipating. "That was a jutsu," Sakura muttered, looking around. Her attention was drawn away from the river when she heard raucous laughter from the tree line.

"Who the hell are you?" Kiba shouted at the blue-skinned man laughing at them.

Naruto's eyes widened in recognition and he cursed when Ino and Lee joined in with Kiba shouting at their opponent. "Guys. Cut it out," Naruto muttered.

"Heehee! Fox-brat's getting' smarter," Kisame commented as if he had heard Naruto's whisper.

"Can it fish face," Kiba growled, glancing at his dog as he abandoned his partner's side and moved towards Naruto, growling harshly at the man in front of them.

"He's S Class," Naruto hissed in warning before Lee could take off towards Kisame.

"Then give us a distraction," Shikamaru stated casually.

Naruto looked over at him in surprise before turning to Sakura. When she nodded, he performed a quick Kage Bunshin and over a hundred copies of the blond appeared on the beach, a few even standing lazily on the surface of the still river. His taller friends – the entire group really – ducked out of Kisame's line of sight. Shikamaru was crouched in thought, whispering to the nearest copy of his friend while Neji listened closely as well. The clone nearest Lee performed a quick henge and whispered for the real Lee to run for the village as soon as they had Kisame's full attention.

"Pointless," Kisame said almost sorrowfully. "You Leaf brats are all dead. Foxy could change that if he really wanted," he added grinning. Several Naruto clones near the front had paired off and were in the process of forming the rasengan. Kisame had so much fun dodging them he failed to notice the figure speeding away from the beach. "Is that all of you've got? Isn't that Sennin of yours teaching you anything?" Kisame snickered when the clones stopped attacking.

He dodged again when twin drills attacked from the side. They circled around and attacked several more times and Kisame continued to dodge until he got bored and pulled his sword off his back. Without bothering to unwrap the cloth from Samehada, he swung out at one of the whirling masses and sent the ninja in the middle of it flying back into the river. He was stopped from attacking again when Shikamaru's shadow finally crept up under him and stopped him in his tracks.

Ignoring the now immobile Kisame, Kiba dashed towards the river to retrieve Akamaru. Shikamaru's eyes widened when the figure he was restraining collapsed with a splash. Kiba and the dog were flung back into the crowd of Naruto clones as Kisame appeared in front of them. "Oi you gonna give up yet brat?" Kisame called into the crowd of clones. When he didn't receive an answer he performed several hand seals and stated, "Baku Suishouha." He took a deep breath before expelling a large burst of water from his mouth and into the crowd of clones. The water expanded and became more turbulent as it reached them and the majority of the clones were dispelled.

The Rookies were left defenseless without the shield of clones around them and Kisame frowned noticing that one of them was missing. "Clever," he conceded.

_**XXXXXX**_

_**XXXXXX**_

Lee skidded to halt in front of the gates and one of the ninja on guard dropped down in front of him. "There's a Missing Nin at the river," Lee breathed out. "Naruto recognized him as S Class. But there's still a group of Genin and one Chuunin down there."

"Who recognized him?" the Chuunin asked.

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. The man looked like a fish and he knew Naruto!"

The man sneered slightly but he didn't question what Lee had said as another ninja moved away from a group of ninja who had just returned from a mission that he had been speaking with. "The Uzumaki kid recognized him?" he repeated.

Lee recognized Kotetsu and nodded again. "The Hokage's in a meeting in the back office at the tower, do you know where that is?"

"Yosh!"

"Get there and tell her. Don't bother asking permission to enter just go. Where are the others at?"

"The training strip at the river," Lee stated before taking off towards the Administration Building. Kotetsu shouted to two more ninja before taking off, leaving the first man Lee had spoken with to man the gates.

Lee made it to the Administration Building and breathlessly sped through the halls towards the small back office that the Hokage used for more intimate and private meetings. Like Kotetsu had told him, he sprinted past the buildings workers not bothering when they shouted for him to stop. He almost passed the hallway entrance to the office and had to back peddle several steps to move into it. He knocked briefly on the door and entered without waiting for a reply.

"Kotetsu sent me to tell you. A Missing Nin that Naruto recognized attacked us at the river. He was blue and-" Lee was cut off when Asuma, Gai, Kurenai and Jiraiya knocked him out of the way in their haste to head out of the office.

Shizune followed them but only far enough to help Lee stand back up. His lack of prose-worthy speech was a clear sign that he was either exhausted or shaken up. "You said Naruto-kun recognized him?"

"Yosh! Naruto-kun said he was an S Class ninja and that we should be careful," Lee explained as Shizune pulled him back into the room.

"Where'd the kid pick that up? Jiraiya doesn't teach his students to be careful," Tsunade snorted. "Of course that's probably what got all of them killed," she added disparagingly.

Lee stared at the Hokage in confusion before turning to Shizune questioningly. "Just have a seat while Gai and the others handle it," she assured him. "Your friends are smart enough not to get hurt."

_**XXXXXX**_

_**XXXXXX**_

Back at the river, Kisame had slowly managed to separate Naruto from his friends. "Come on brat, you're wastin' my time!" Kisame shouted at Naruto. Naruto just continued to glare back and Kisame noticed small whisps of red chakra slowly creeping around the boy's form.

"Time to wrap this up," he declared disappearing again only to arrive in front of the pink haired girl who had remained as close to Naruto as possible. He grabbed her away from her friends and then disappeared again. This time appearing on the other side of the river, waving at Naruto as he dropped Sakura back on her feet.

Naruto moved to dash across the river just as Sakura skittered away from Kisame. Kisame snickered and performed hand seals. "Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu."

Naruto stumbled on the suddenly turbulent surface of the river and moved to dodge until he realized that the water dragon wasn't targeting him. His eyes widened as he sped up towards Sakura, not noticing the second dragon that had risen from the water behind him. He lunged towards Sakura the moment his feet landed on the shore and his force sent both of them out of the way of the first dragon. The second one landed directly against Naruto's lower back just as he pushed himself off his teammate.

Naruto and Sakura could barely hear their friends shouting their names above the roar of the water around them and Sakura bit into her lip when she felt her arm being crushed by the force of the water dragon. And the pain pulled her attention away from the fiery chakra that had surrounded them seconds before the jutsu hit. If the jutsu had managed to crush her arm, she couldn't fathom how much damage it had done to Naruto's back or how he was even still supporting himself above her. The water finally faded away and Sakura managed to look up towards Naruto as he hovered over her, his eyes squinted shut in pain as his breathing came out uneasily, the normally thin marks on his cheeks were darker and thicker than normal and the chakra was beginning to burn.

Kisame snorted when the water slid off the beach revealing the two and he shook his head when Naruto managed to push back so that he was kneeling upright. "Damn kid relyin' on the fox. You couldn't just let yourself be injured so that you could come without a fight, could 'ya?" he asked in annoyance.

Naruto shuddered and fell forward so that he could support himself on one arm while the Kyuubi continued to heal his back. He glared over at Kisame with deep red eyes and snarled as more chakra began to leak out around his form. As more power flooded his body, he slowly pushed himself to his feet and took a step towards Kisame. "Meh, I didn't want to deal with trouble," Kisame muttered, watching Naruto carefully and fingering the wrappings on his sword. "Another one?" he muttered when his fingers suddenly stopped.

Naruto had paused and was gazing at the man behind Kisame who looked like a more scarred version of Shikamaru. The blond pushed his weight onto the balls of his feet and fell into a low crouch. "Naruto, stop moving," Sakura spoke up, bringing his attention back to her. Naruto didn't pull out more of the Kyuubi's chakra but he also didn't suppress it as he stilled and looked back up at Kisame.

"Shouldn't you attend to your teammate?"

Naruto's breath hitched at the voice that sounded next to him and he heard Sakura's belated shout about the new arrival. Naruto whirled onto his feet putting his back to Kisame so that he could stare at Itachi, he remembered too late not to look into the sharingan. The Kyuubi's chakra sank back into his body and he stilled unnaturally as the genjutsu took hold.

Itachi stepped away from him and frowned at Kisame. "You were told not to harm the target," he stated.

"He isn't really harmed," Kisame reasoned.

"The leader has called for us to return."

"'Kay. Let's take the kid," Kisame grinned.

"No. We aren't ready for him. We will not be able to hold on to him. Hatake is here."

To prove Itachi's point, Kakashi appeared in between Itachi and Naruto, shielding the blond from Kisame and Itachi's line of sight. The shadow binding Kisame in place wavered and then shrunk away from him as Shikaku cursed. He gazed at the two missing nin uncertainly when none of them made a move to continue the fight. He saw Itachi's eyes narrow and the blue-skinned ninja disappeared in a splash of water.

All eyes turned to Sakura when she shrieked and tried to gain her footing and push away but when she accidentally put weight on her broken arm she slipped and landed painfully on it. She cringed and shut her eyes, certain that the sword bearing down on her was going to hit. Instead of the sword, she felt a body press into hers and then heard a grunt and a sharp snap, almost the same sound she had heard when her arm had been hit by the jutsu.

"Hey! What's she doing here?" Kisame shouted pointing at the woman who had blocked his strike and looking over at Itachi angrily.

"It doesn't matter. We have business elsewhere," Itachi stated before disappearing. Kisame gave one last look at the woman on the ground pushing up against his sword and sneered angrily before following Itachi's lead and disappearing.

"I thought you were going to stay hidden?" Kakashi stated, turning towards Sakura and the woman in front of her. The brunette had sat up and was busy tending to her broken wrist.

"Show myself or let your student get killed. Would you prefer I made the second choice?" she asked, pulling out a roll of bandages from one of her hip pouches and quickly wrapping it around her wrist. Once she was certain she wouldn't cause herself further injury she moved to kneel behind Sakura and helped her sit back up, carefully restraining the broken arm as she looked closely at it. After a moment, she sighed and shook her head. "I need you to not jostle the arm as much as possible. It's shattered and I can't heal it all the way out here with the supplies I have," she explained.

"I know," Sakura nodded in acceptance as the woman moved the arm so that it was lying in Sakura's lap.

"Alright. I'm going to use a jutsu to numb some of the pain. It messes with the nervous system so you shouldn't try to move around." Sakura nodded and the woman performed a few hand seals, too quick for Sakura to catch, and then lightly touched the base of her neck. The pain from her arm disappeared almost immediately, but she was left with an odd floating sensation. It took her a moment to realize that the jutsu cut off most sensations from the rest of her body as well. The woman slipped an arm under Sakura's knees and another around her shoulders and lifted her easily. "Could you check Naruto's back?" she asked gaining a nod from the woman as she stood up moving towards Naruto, Kakashi and Nara Shikaku who were in the middle of arguing about whether or not someone should be sent after Itachi and Kisame.

"Kakashi," the woman stated in concern when Naruto remained unresponsive to her approach.

Kakashi turned around and followed her line of sight towards the immobile blond. "Naruto?" he questioned reaching out and tapping his student's shoulder. When Naruto flinched away and showed no sign of recognition Kakashi cursed and unveiled the Sharingan. He reached forward and sent a shock of chakra through Naruto's system hoping that Itachi hadn't used a strong genjutsu against him.

Naruto winced and looked up at Kakashi in surprise, finally recognizing him. "Where…where'd they go?"

"Itachi caught you in a genjutsu and they left. Are you alright? The genjutsu was on you for several minutes," Kakashi told him as the woman handed Sakura to him and knelt down in front of Naruto.

She gazed at him for a minute before scooting around and running a hand along his spine. "Toushi no Jutsu," she muttered, running her hand along it again and pushing just a bit of chakra against the skin. She examined the area a bit as Naruto squirmed and craned his neck to watch her. "No bone fragments out of place and everything looks fine," she finally declared standing up and nodding to Kakashi as she gently patted Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto's eyes widened in realization and he turned to thank her but he was interrupted when Jiraiya appeared next to the woman looking at her curiously. "Hey! What's she doing here?" Jiraiya shouted pointing at the young woman with a purple, rectangular stripe slanting across each cheek.

Kakashi sighed as he carefully shifted Sakura in his arms and turned around. His eye twitched when he noticed Jiraiya happily taking in the view provided by the skirt she hadn't had time to change out of. The woman noticed his annoyance and finally turned to Jiraiya, catching his line of sight. "If you don't find something else to look at I'll show you that I hit a lot harder now than I did when I was nine," she assured him.

"We need to head back," Kakashi stated ignoring Jiraiya's presence.

"Wonderful!" Jiraiya declared. "We were just talking about her," he added pointing to the woman. "I'm sure Tsunade would love to meet her."

"I can't. I have to be back in Hifukidake by nightfall," the woman declared.

"Nonsense Rin. An hour to meet with your Hokage isn't too much to ask," Jiraiya retorted dropping a hand onto her shoulder. He ignored a comment that sounded suspiciously like 'not my Hokage' and ushered Rin and Naruto back across the river, leaving Shikaku, Kakashi and Sakura to follow.

Kurenai looked away from Hinata surprise when she heard the group from the other side of the river approaching. "Is that…Rin?"

Asuma turned hearing her statement and gaped for a moment. "This…so that's what Anko meant," he finally answered.

"She's the go-between?" Kurenai hissed in understanding.

"Did you say Rin?" Gai interrupted only catching the first half of the conversation. "The wondrous youth Genma spoke of?"

Asuma nodded before turning back to the woman arguing with Jiraiya as he pulled her onto the shore. His eyes narrowed as Jiraiya glanced back at Naruto long enough to tell him and the other Rookies to get dressed and come to the Hokage's office with Kakashi after they dropped Sakura off at the hospital. The minute Naruto nodded, Jiraiya disappeared with a shocked Rin and Kakashi cursed stepping up next to Naruto. "Grab Sakura's stuff too. We need to hurry," he muttered to Naruto.

"We'll head straight to Tsunade-sama's office," Kurenai stated, herding her students away. She was quickly followed by Kotetsu and the third ninja that had arrived with Shikaku and himself.

Sakura remained completely silent on the way to the hospital, occasionally sending concerned glances to Naruto's pensive form as he trailed behind Kakashi still clutching her bag. The nurse at the hospital took one look at Sakura's misshapen arm and sent them through to another ward. When Naruto moved to follow, he was brought up short by the same nurse. "Patients only."

Naruto nodded in acceptance but Kakashi shook his head and beckoned for Naruto to follow. "He stays with us," was all he told the nurse.

"But the doctor on duty…"

"Come on Naruto," Kakashi stated ignoring her warning.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, who was that woman?" Naruto finally asked when another nurse sent them into a private room to wait for the medic.

"Rin."

Naruto glared at his teacher's answer and the uplifting of his eye that went with it suggesting that Kakashi was teasing him.

"She's a medic nin," Sakura added, suddenly entranced by trying to pull on Kakashi's hair.

"I know. And she mentioned Hifukidake…isn't that the capital?"

Kakashi looked at Naruto seriously for a moment and then his eye squinted shut again. "I'm glad you remember that much from the Academy," he told the now pouting blond.

The medic came in and Kakashi decided it was time for him and Naruto to leave Sakura. Waving and mentioning that they would tell Tsunade she was there, Kakashi pulled Naruto out of the door. "How does your back feel?" Kakashi asked as they headed towards the Administrative building next door.

"Fine. It isn't even sore," Naruto answered a bit too cheerily.

"Well, I'll still mention it to Tsunade-sama," Kakashi stated grinning when Naruto's pout turned pleadingly towards him.

"Please don't! She'll make me skip training for like a week this time," Naruto argued.

"This time?"

"She thinks I'm too reckless with my healing factor," Naruto muttered.

"You are. That jutsu could have left you paralyzed."

"But it could've killed Sakura!"

"And that is the only reason I'm not yelling at you. However, you should be more careful. Next time the recovery could be longer and you won't be able to dodge another attack or you could get a teammate really hurt when they cover for you. Just be careful," Kakashi reminded him, pointing at the sharingan eye hidden under his forehead protector.

Naruto nodded glumly but couldn't respond when Kotetsu walked up to them. "They moved to the front office so that she could see everyone. They've been waiting and that woman who was with you looks really uncomfortable," he offered.

_**XXXXXX**_

_**XXXXXX**_

"What's she doing here?" Tsunade asked gaping at the young woman standing in the doorway with Jiraiya.

"I thought it might be nice if she heads up here and says hello before darting off to that danky capital again," Jiraiya stated, grinning as he still held onto Rin's uninjured wrist. Before Tsunade could retort Anko came out of her shock and jumped Rin, knocking her away from Jiraiya.

"Oi, what was the hold up?" She pouted. "I had to sit in this office for five hours today just because you and Kakashi decided to goof off instead of sending him back here! And you didn't even bring the kid with you!"

Rin blinked and took a moment to register who was on top of her and what she had been saying. "We weren't goofing off," she finally replied defensively. "My informant came to the meeting late because he had been trying to track Kisame. And we ran all the way here."

"What's this about a kid?" Jiraiya interrupted.

"Where are Gai and the others?"

Jiraiya frowned at Tsunade's interruption since it prevented Rin from answering. "On their way up here with their students I'd assume. Kakashi had to take that girl to the hospital because she messed up her arm," he added.

"I'm fairly certain that girl was his student: Sakura," Rin muttered derisively. "Then again you never could remember a girl's name unless she hit you. Should I tell Sakura to smack some sense into you?"

Tsunade snorted as Jiraiya gaped at Rin for several moments speechless. "How many times do I have to remind you that I was drunk that day?" he finally asked.

"Is that supposed to be an excuse?"

"Did you really hit him?" Anko asked eagerly. "I wish I had seen that."

"I was only nine. It didn't do nearly the damage I wish it had. Although it did save him from being hit by Minato-sensei."

"My own student wasn't really going to hit me," Jiraiya retorted.

It was Rin's turn to snort at Jiraiya's claim and she was forced to bite back a retort when Tsunade finally inserted herself in the conversation again. "We'll move to one of the larger rooms so that I can speak with the younger ninja. If you'd all prefer you can wait here. We'll discuss the rest of our business once I'm finished with them."

When Rin didn't follow Tsunade, Shizune, and Lee immediately the buxom blond turned to Jiraiya and said, "She comes with us."

Rin cursed as Jiraiya once again grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room. This time Anko followed along as well. After a moment, Genma pushed away from the wall and trailed out after them leaving several others to wait patiently until the Hokage returned.

She found herself being shoved into a familiar front office and was about to complain when Anko latched back onto her back. "Did you at least bring me a picture?"

"I told you, we left too quickly," Rin claimed.

"Aren't you supposed to carry pictures of your kid with you at all times? What happens when you want to show a random stranger a picture of him?" Anko insisted.

"Why would I want to show a random stranger a picture of my son?"

"Okay that was a bad example. But what if you run into an old and very dear friend who hasn't seen your son since he was two and you made the regrettable decision to dye his hair? Don't you think she deserves to see a picture of fresh blood once'n a while?"

"How do you manage to be so disturbing and yet not bother me at all?" Rin pondered aloud.

"All that time around Orochimaru and the Uchihas must have addled your brains. That and Kakashi probably," Anko suggested.

"You spent more time around him than me," Rin replied defensively.

"Yes, which is why _I_ am the disturbing one and you are merely unperturbed."

"She's got a kid?" Jiraiya interrupted.

"Who's got a kid?" Asuma asked around his cigarette, peeking in the door to see if he could let the others in. "Oh we're talking about Rin still?" he asked once he saw her inside.

"Do you think I could manage to sneak out the window while they're talking?" Rin asked quietly.

"Nope. I've tried it. Tsunade-sama gets angry; then she breaks things. If you're lucky the things broken aren't a body part," Anko replied.

The tick on Tsunade's forehead had been growing since the moment they had stepped into her office and she was quickly losing her patience at being ignored. "Could you all just get your asses in here!"

"Hey wait, how does he know about your son?" Anko asked jealously.

"He met him at the capital," Rin shrugged.

"How old was he? Did he still have brown hair?" Anko asked turning from Rin to Asuma.

"I don't know…maybe one? And yeah he had brown hair; why wouldn't he?" Asuma asked taking another puff from his cigarette.

"When are you going to undye his hair?" Anko whined, opening her eyes as wide as possible while the Rookies skirted around them to enter the room. Kurenai had entered and was standing curiously next to Asuma.

"Oh! You must be my eternal rival's wonderful-"

"Who's he?" Rin whispered to Anko, not bothering to listen to the rest of Gai's statement.

"Ummm…you might be better off not knowing that…" Anko admitted. "Now about his hair."

Rin sighed and turned back to Anko ready to argue again when she noticed that the kicked puppy look had returned in spectacular fashion. "Aren't you supposed to get worse at that look as you get older?"

Anko smiled widely and Kakashi coughed at the door. He pointed towards the front of the room where Tsunade was sitting rapping her nails against her desk impatiently. "Now that I have all of your attention," she bit out, she was amused to note that Rin and Anko had both blushed like school girls caught gossiping in class. "Have all of those here been checked for injuries?" she continued.

"Aside from Naruto and Sakura the only one to get really get hit was Kiba and it's only a bruise," Kurenai assure her.

Tsunade nodded and motioned for Shizune to check on him anyway. Happy that the boy was being taken care of, Tsunade crooked her finger and beckoned Naruto forward. "What did you do?" she asked as he stepped hesitantly in front of her.

"I'm fine. She even checked on me and said nothing was broken and there weren't any fragments or anything out of place," Naruto told her pointing back at Rin.

"Weren't any…what did you let yourself get hit with?" Tsunade shrieked.

"Umm…you promise you won't hit me? Cuz if you hit me I'll just get hurt and have to heal myself again," Naruto prompted.

"Spit it out."

"It was just a water jutsu."

"The same jutsu that injured Sakura?"

"Yeah," Naruto replied slowly.

"How badly was she injured?" Tsunade asked her voice rolling low.

"It crushed the bone in her arm," Jiraiya spoke up.

Tsunade turned back to Naruto furiously only to find empty space. She located the boy hiding behind Rin and crooked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Umm…Naruto-kun, I'm not sure I'm the best person to hide behind. The last time we were in a room together, she tried to have me demoted. And then she blocked my promotion to Jounin," Rin muttered.

"But she won't hit you," Naruto insisted. "She'd hit Kakashi-sensei to get to me, but she won't hit you," he added.

"I'm not too sure of that. She's been trying to recall me to Konoha since she became Hokage and I've been disregarding the orders," she admitted. "Well…the ones Kakashi has actually bothered to pass on."

"You've been ignoring her? She doesn't like that," Naruto muttered back.

"Naruto, I won't hit you so get your scrawny butt over here," Tsunade hissed glaring at them. Naruto appeared in front of her almost instantly while Anko snickered at Rin. "We had a deal," Tsunade stated. "The accelerated healing is too stressful."

"I remembered that." Tsunade growled and Naruto quickly added, "That's why I only let one jutsu hit me."

"Do you think that's supposed to appease me?"

"Uh…"

Kakashi snickered at Naruto's confusion and was tempted to help his student out when one of the other sensei coughed. "Perhaps…we could finish up with them first and then you could yell at Naruto-kun?" Kurenai suggested.

"Fine." Before she could even turn to dismiss him, Naruto had already darted over to stand next to Kakashi and was glaring at Jiraiya for getting him in trouble in the first place. "Now, the missing nin you ran into was an S Class named Hoshigake Kisame from Kirigakure no Sato. He's a member of an organization we've been watching for a number of years and our informant," she paused to gaze piercingly at Rin, "Didn't get the information to us on time. If we had known he was heading here you wouldn't have been left on your own."

Naruto glanced at the woman next to him and noticed the frown on her face deepen. Anko had turned and was frowning at the Hokage.

"How did he know Naruto?" Shikamaru asked in confusion.

Naruto stiffened lightly but the Hokage brushed it off, "Naruto and Jiraiya have run into him before while on a mission. I'm surprised Kisame remembered him."

"Hokage-sama," Shikaku interrupted. "Uchiha was there."

"What?" Tsunade screeched turning back to look at Jiraiya. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"I didn't see him…when was he there?" Jiraiya asked.

"Before you arrived," Kakashi answered.

"He stopped Hoshigake and then they left," Shikaku added.

Tsunade glanced once at Naruto and then at the other Rookies. "You're all dismissed for now. If you have any more questions that your sensei can't answer then come and find me tomorrow," she told them. Naruto tried to sneak out with his friends but Tsunade coughed and he was stopped by Shikaku's shadow.

"Genma go get those still waiting in my office. We'll finish up here," she stated. Genma nodded and slipped out the door after the rookies. Kotetsu and several of his friends' teachers were watching Naruto sympathetically as Tsunade approached. Shikaku released the shadow bind just before Tsunade's fist pounded on Naruto's head knocking the boy onto the ground.

"That hurt you old hag!" Naruto shouted in retaliation. He barely avoided the kick aimed at his torso. "You said you weren't gonna hit me," he whined moving to hide behind Kakashi and Rin again.

"Were_you_ going to tell me about Uchiha?" she asked directing the question at Naruto and Kakashi.

"I kinda forgot he was there. He didn't try to kill me this time," Naruto shrugged. Anko snickered at the appalled look on Tsunade's face but it faded into a cough when the Hokage glared at her.

"And_you_?"

"He convinced Kisame to leave and aside from a genjutsu that stopped Naruto from pulling on Kyuubi's chakra he didn't attack anyone or try to take Naruto with them," he claimed.

"Is he telling the truth?"

Kakashi's eye narrowed dangerously when Tsunade turned suspiciously towards Shikaku. "From what I heard. He mentioned something about not being ready for the kid."

"What did they mean by that?" Tsunade asked turning towards Rin.

"I'm not sure. I know they didn't intend to go after him yet. We were supposed to have three years, but my informant wasn't sure why the time limit was set," she claimed. Genma reappeared with Ibiki and four men that Naruto didn't recognize and Rin sighed, moving to lean against the wall. Anko was busy glaring at one of the black haired men.

Naruto looked curiously between them when Rin's eyes widened in recognition. The man grinned for a moment but quickly schooled his face when Jiraiya looked at him oddly. Asuma sighed and blew out another lungful of smoke drawing a glare from Tsunade.

"Naruto wait outside for Jiraiya," Tsunade finally stated.

Naruto frowned and walked out of the office, settling onto one of the benches in the hallway. He remained seated, bored and getting colder by the minute, for half an hour until Jiraiya finally emerged from the office with Kakashi and most of the others. He couldn't see Rin with them. "We're done for today. Behave," Jiraiya ordered before walking on down the hall.

"Let's go check on Sakura," Kakashi suggested. "I'll treat the two of you to ramen."

Naruto jumped eagerly and exited the building with Kakashi. "Hey, hey, what about that woman, Rin? I thought she didn't want to talk to the Hag. Should you really leave her in there?" he asked as they headed back to the hospital.

"She had a bit of business and she figured she would take care of it now rather than come back again."

Naruto frowned at the answer but let it go as Anko suddenly leeched onto his back and asked, "Where ya headed?"

"We have to get Sakura," Kakashi told her.

"And then?"

"Ramen."

"Oh good, I'll come with you. This is turning out to be such an awesome day! I got to glare at Taji for like four hours; Rin came back; and now I get to pester her and blondie!"

* * *

**Agent's Spiel:** In order to avoid a lot of confusion I just want to expand upon the setting a bit for this story. Like I said at the top, this takes place after the failed mission to rescue Sasuke. Any spoilers for the later story will come only the form of people who are introduced all the way through volumes 35 and 36 (ending with chapter 326 or so). There won't be any real mention of the Akatsuki's "real" purpose or history. If there's any confusion, please review, email, or pm me and I'll at least try to help clear things up.

Before I get a lot of reviews on Rin. Yes I know canon wise she is probably dead. I wanted a female character who I could base on canon fact and Rin was best the choice as I can look back on her abilities in Kakashi Gaiden and then base her growth on that. If the discrepancy with Kakashi's statement bothers you just pretend that he was exaggerating to prove a point.

For those who read _After the Dream_, I wrote the majority of this fresh so while the plot will seem similar, hopefully the early chapters won't feel too repetitive. We'll see many more similarities as the fic goes on, mainly because as I got into the later chapters of _AtD_, I was surer of the plot.

Jutsu (if the name wasn't written in the story I pointed out where it was used; **bold** means the jutsu is not canon):

_Suiton Goshokuzame_: Five Sharks Eating [Kisame's attack that drives them out of the water

_Henge no Jutsu_: Transformation Technique

_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_: Shadow Clone Technique

_Rasengan_: Spiral Sphere

_Juujin Bunshin_: Beast-Man Clone

_Gatsuuga_: Dual Piercing Fang [This and the Bunshin above are used in combination. It's the drill attack that Kisame dodges

_Kage Mane no Jutsu_: Shadow Imitation Technique [Shikamaru uses this to hold Kisame in place. His father does the same thing later to both Kisame and Naruto

_Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu_: Water Clone Technique [Kisame's Clone that Shikamaru caught

_Baku Suishouha_: Bursting Water Collision Waves

_Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu_: Water Dragon Projectile Technique

_**Kara Shinkei no Jutsu**_: Blank Nerve Technique [the pain numbing thing Rin does to Sakura

_**Toushi no Jutsu**_: Seeing Through Technique/X-Ray (examination) Technique

_**Tsuukaku no Jutsu**_: Sense of Pain Technique (It's just the release of the Blank Nerve Technique and isn't normally needed since that technique normally fades)

If I missed any just drop me a line.


	2. Catch My Fall

**Agent's Spiel: **Just a few quick notes brought up by reviewers:

I don't answer questions about pairings. This isn't a romance fic and while there will be pairings they aren't central so don't worry about it too much.

Also there was some confusion about how much of Kyuubi's chakra Naruto was drawing on last chapter and why it didn't seem to catch attention. To those on that side of the river, namely Kisame and Sakura, it would have been more than obvious. The other Rookies probably would have noticed some of the chakra when Naruto started to draw on it for an attack but I was aiming for something closer to his performance in the Chuunin Exam against Neji and not at the level of 'First Tail' like against Sasuke.

Lastly, jutsu names. I had a request to use the English names but I have a real problem with doing that. Mainly the fact that there really isn't a single official 'English' name. With Japanese it's okay since you have the real name and then an interpretation but with English you have the Shonen Jump translation, the Viz translation, and then the 'fan' translations that crept up when the manga hit the internet and they aren't always the same. I'm sorry if this is really confusing but I really can't make the transition.

There is a lot of exposition this chapter. A lot more than I had intended, but I can't really rewrite it any other way. If you're confused about anything (a lot of this isn't canon) just email me. Also a few of the people mentioned in this chapter have been introduced in_**No Good Deed**_ – a bunch of complementary but not necessarily cohesive chapters typically focusing on Kakashi and Rin's time as teammates. The first chapter is up and it'll get updated as needed.

**At the very bottom of the chapter I have a question concerning next chapter. Please note that the question includes a spoiler if you have not read/seen any of Naruto Shippuden**.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

**Catch My Fall**

"Oh I see, I spend almost six months trying to establish contact with you and now you aren't going to leave me alone?" Tsunade smirked, when she found herself alone with Rin.

"It's only been four months and Lord Shijimi requested that I speak with you about a blossoming health concern," Rin gritted out. "I hadn't intended to come so soon but since I'm here I figured I'd mention it."

"Well, mention away," Tsunade invited, moving to sit behind her desk.

"We have a plague along the southern coast. It hasn't reached as far north as the capital, but the infection rate seems to be growing. Patients seem to respond better to chakra based treatment than herbal remedies. The Daimyo plans on sending a request for medics once we've gathered a bit more information on the treatment and hopefully found something to immunize the medics who come in contact with the patients," she explained.

"I'll be waiting for news. Is there anything else?" she asked when Rin hesitated at the door.

Rin rubbed her forehead a bit nervously and sighed. "The Daimyo asks that you consider opening a dialogue with the Nami family. They parted with the Sandaime Hokage at a rather poor time and there is some…unfinished business he'd like you to pick up on," she explained. "He's concerned that putting it off may make the situation irreconcilable."

"What's the situation?"

"Senma-sama-"

Rin was cut off by an angry knock at the door. Before Tsunade could answer the door was flung open. "Hokage-dono I demand to know what happened-"

The elderly woman who had stormed in trailed off and squinted at Rin. Rin had paled significantly but was glaring furiously with a light blush dusting her cheeks. "My apologies, Hokage-sama, I need to take my leave. The Daimyo will be in touch once we have done more research," Rin stated stiffly before turning and walking out.

She walked swiftly out of the building and towards the ramen stand Kakashi had told her about. When she arrived, she found Kakashi, Naruto, Anko, and a slightly loopy Sakura sitting and talking excitedly. "Finished already?" Anko asked noticing her approach.

"The Council showed up so I disappeared," Rin answered, taking the seat next to Sakura and examining the cast on the girl's arm for a moment.

"Bleh, old people," Anko muttered turning back to her ramen. Sakura giggled and then stopped appalled at her own behavior.

"Umm…did the medic give you a pain killer?" Rin asked.

"Yeah," Sakura giggled again. She wasn't quite sure why Rin's question had seemed so funny.

Rin winced and Anko's eyes widened and it was her turn to giggle. "You used that one jutsu didn't you? How long is she gonna be like this," she asked eagerly.

Rin performed several seals and muttered, "Tsuukaku no Jutsu," before touching the back of Sakura's neck again. A cold shiver ran through the girl's body but her head felt much clearer. "Sorry. It doesn't wear off as quickly if an anesthesia or another strong painkiller is added. I'm surprised you could walk here," Rin admitted.

"I probably should have mentioned it to the medic who was healing my arm, but I didn't think about it," Sakura admitted. "I haven't learned that one yet. Does it always make the patient feel like that?"

"It dulls the pain receptors it hits. For some reason it also increases euphoria. It's kind of like the drugs you'll get occasionally but…well the loopiness gets worse over time if the jutsu doesn't fade," Rin admitted.

"Oh god, I remember when you used it on me and then Tsunade kept giving me something really strong. I ended up telling your sensei he was pretty," Anko snickered.

"I think that might have been one of his greatest reactions," Kakashi added. "At least right up until he asked me if it was true."

"I still think you should have just told him he was pretty," Anko giggled.

"His ego probably would have liked it. Although I'm not sure what it would have done to his sanity," Rin answered. "Of course now you're dealing with the karmic backlash," she added pointing at Naruto.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked.

Anko snickered and Rin grinned at him. "Now he gets to deal with another overly charismatic, adorable blond," she stated.

Naruto nodded in understanding, "I am adorable."

"He's got the ego part down too," Anko added, prodding at Naruto's cheeks with her chopsticks. Naruto lifted his own chopsticks to fend them off and the two bickered for several minutes while Rin was finally served her own bowl of miso ramen.

"Umm…Rin-san? How do you know Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura finally asked, hoping to distract Naruto from the hyperactive Special Jounin.

"We were teammates when I was a Genin. Of course Kakashi was already Chuunin by then. I don't think he really enjoyed getting saddled with teammates," the woman snickered.

"He was already Chunnin? How old was he?" Naruto asked.

"We were nine. Kakashi had been Chunnin for about three years," Rin explained.

"He was six?" Sakura repeated in awe. Kakashi's eye curved up in a smile when his students both turned to him with slightly more respectful looks on their faces.

"Have you ever seen him without his mask?"

His eye drooped at Naruto's sudden topic change.

"I'd hope so otherwise I can imagine sooo much awkwardness," Anko muttered.

Rin coughed politely and rubbed the back of her head a bit. "I have," she admitted. When both looked at her hopefully she smiled and added, "How about I promise to bring a picture next time I see you? And yes Anko I'll make sure that next time I see you, you'll get a picture of Rishito."

Anko, Sakura, and Naruto crowed as Kakashi groaned. "Well I think she's done here for now," he finally declared, paying Teuchi and standing up to pull Rin away from the stand.

"Wait!" Anko and Naruto shouted at nearly the same time taking off after Rin and Kakashi as Sakura was quick to follow as well.

"Umm…did the hag really almost demote you?" Naruto asked a bit uncomfortably.

He was relieved when Anko seemed to find the question funny. "Well she was in a rather bad mood. Said something about me being an irresponsible field medic and I don't think she liked it when I pointed out that the mistake I had supposedly made was just as much her fault as mine. And the blocking my promotion thing wasn't a surprise. I was fourteen and my sensei was being a bit too enthusiastic," Rin admitted. "Enthusiastic, that reminds me. Kakashi who was the man in the green unitard?"

"Gai-sensei?" Sakura suggested.

"Your…eternal rival?" Rin asked, hiding the playful smile on her face.

"That just means Gai forces him into competitions of rock, paper, scissors," Anko snickered. "What's your current score again?"

"You'd have to ask him. Although I think he actually makes it up every time he's asked," Kakashi told her.

"No he doesn't. Lee says he keeps track of it in a notebook," Sakura corrected.

"He actually keeps track?" Anko asked in disbelief.

"Now see these are the stories that would be appropriate for you to tell," Rin stated, turning to look back at Kakashi. "They're much better than talking about those stupid books Jiraiya writes."

"Ah, Icha Icha Paradisu," Anko sighed at the same time that Kakashi patted the top pocket of his flak jacket.

Rin sighed and shook her head. "Just remember that next time he comes running to me to find out what 'stacked' means I'm burning those things," she warned with a slight growl.

Kakashi chuckled a bit nervously and scratched the nape of his neck. "And I thought it was annoying when he read it around us," Naruto muttered, giggling as Sakura gaped at their sensei.

"Yes well, maybe a bit more training with the Sannin and you two will be able to make put away during training," Kakashi told them, his eye curving up pleasantly.

"You're on!" Naruto shouted pointing eagerly at him.

"Not right now," Kakashi reminded him. "The two of you have a lot of work to do before you're ready for that," he added.

"Yeah, but now we have another goal to work towards," Sakura poked her tongue out as Kakashi sighed.

"What's the first goal?" Anko asked in confusion.

"Sasuke."

Their simultaneous answer drew a dubious look from Anko but she chose not to retort when Kakashi sent a warning look her way. "Have fun with that," Anko muttered looping her arm through Rin's. "I'm gonna steal her away for a while. And Kakashi I think Asuma and them want to see you tonight," she added pulling Rin away.

"Well, I think we should get Sakura home so that she can rest and let her arm heal," Kakashi declared, pulling Naruto and Sakura the opposite way.

"You're just getting rid of us so that you can go after them, aren't you?" Sakura pouted.

"Nonsense," Kakashi countered. "I'm getting rid of you so that I have a few hours to read before I have to get grilled by Asuma and Kurenai."

"Pervert!" Sakura shouted reaching over to hit her sensei. Kakashi dodged, grinning at her as he appeared behind Naruto. "Let's go tots," he ordered, pushing Naruto along in front of him as Sakura trailed behind glaring at him.

He led the way to Sakura's first and marched the girl up the door intending to explain a modified version of the afternoon's events to her parents. When no one answered the door, Sakura pulled out her key and opened the door calling out for her parents. "Are they at work?" Kakashi mused looking for a clock. It had to be nearing five in the afternoon judging by the sun.

"No. My father should have already been home about an hour ago. My mother said she would be home all day," Sakura told him, frowning.

"Well, we'll leave you here to rest then. If they ask…you should probably say it happened while training. Missing nin getting into the village isn't the type of security breach the Hokage wants out at the moment."

Sakura nodded and Kakashi pulled Naruto back towards the door, shutting it before Sakura could prolong their stay. "You know, I can walk myself home," Naruto muttered as Kakashi continued to push him in front of him.

"What was that?" Kakashi hummed as he pulled his trusty book out and flipped to a random page.

Naruto sighed and continued walking towards his apartment and ignoring the occasional giggle that escaped out of Kakashi's mouth. "Pervert," Naruto muttered as Kakashi nearly pushed him into a woman in front of them.

"Hatake!"

Kakashi turned in confusion and then waved politely when he noticed the couple moving towards him. "Haruno-san," he greeted. Naruto perked up slightly and looked at them curiously. "We just left Sakura at your house. She injured her arm today during-"

"We know exactly what happened. My wife was contacted by the medic who treated her but by the time she arrived our daughter was already gone," the man spit out angrily.

"Ah, I assumed that you would both be working so I made sure to pick her up myself," Kakashi assured him. "As I said it was a training accident-"

"No it wasn't! That medic told us it was a missing nin that was after him!" Sakura's mother shouted jabbing a finger at Naruto.

"Well…that's not quite accurate," Kakashi reasoned. "It was a missing nin who was passing through and happened to come across Naruto and his friends. He wasn't really after him."

"That's a pathetic excuse Hatake. Keep him away from our daughter. They aren't teammates anymore. There is no reason for that boy to associate with her any longer."

Kakashi's jaw nearly dropped but his mask kept his face appearing blank as the two walked away. Naruto was staring after them in confusion and looked up at Kakashi with increasingly wide eyes. When Kakashi noticed that several shopkeepers had overheard the entire conversation and were pointing at Naruto and talking angrily, he decided it was time to disappear.

Naruto coughed when a plume of smoke appeared around them. When it cleared they were in his apartment. "Make sure you meet Jiraiya tomorrow," Kakashi told him heading back out one of the windows. Naruto grumbled for several minutes after man's disappearance as he set about making himself a cup of instant ramen. He deserved it after having to deal with Kakashi's antics.

_**XXXXXX**_

_**XXXXXX**_

"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Jiraiya grumbled reappearing in Tsunade's office later that evening.

"Old people," Tsunade hissed.

Jiraiya was tempted to point out that she was an old person but he didn't quite feel like facing the woman's wrath that evening. Instead, he decided to pass on the information that had brought him to her office in the first place. "Rin left about two hours ago. Did you know half the stuff they were talking about?"

"What do you mean?" Tsunade mumbled frowning at a series of maps. Rin's information was vague but she still needed to be wary of mission that would take her ninja into the diseased areas.

"Pregnancy, a kid, possibly working in Hifukidake, ignoring you on purpose," he stated.

"Just the last one," Tsunade answered absentmindedly. "I'm going to grill Asuma and a few of the others later."

"And Kakashi?"

"I'm not asking _him_ about her if that's what you're asking."

"It wasn't."

"He's been withholding information from me since the moment I became Hokage. Some of it I can pass off for security reasons. Most of it is arrogance. And I don't like any of it," Tsunade told him.

"And that explains why you won't ask him about his former teammate?" Jiraiya asked. "Aside from Anko, he's probably the only one who would know exactly what she was doing and for who. Not to mention why he decided not to pass on her recall."

"I don't care about that right now. Okay yes I do. I should be more focused on who her informant is. I don't want a supposedly retired ninja dealing with a group of S-Class missing nin on her own. Especially since at least one of them was a close associate during their time in the village. It's starting to get to Kakashi too. He refused to go after Itachi. I never figured Kakashi would let his emotions get the better of him, but I should have remembered how he handled Sasuke."

"We know for a fact that she deals with them directly?" Jiraiya asked.

"Kisame recognized her and seemed surprised that she would be here. Shikaku was left with the impression that the Akatsuki, or at least that pair, seems to see her as someone who has no association with her former village. Regardless, if I could find out where she is I'd send someone to watch over her. I'm concerned that even if Itachi seemed to brush off her presence the others won't. If what she said is right, we're going to be dealing with more members of the Akatsuki going off on their own. She could become a target."

"I doubt it. Rin was smart enough to know her limits. If she showed herself in front of them then she has a good enough excuse to keep herself ingratiated to whoever knows her," Jiraiya reasoned.

"Lets go," Tsunade finally declared standing up. "You're buying tonight."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and followed her out of the office. He started to head to the sake stand that Tsunade usually preferred but she dragged him off in the opposite direction. "I want to talk to Asuma tonight," she explained.

"Why him again?"

"He seemed to know about her. And Genma didn't seem too surprised either," she added.

"Isn't he too old to have known her?"

"He's what…thirty…five, six," Tsunade shrugged. "Wouldn't have known them from the academy. Unless he taught them, but Genma doesn't seem like the type who would have taught at the academy." She trailed off looking at the buildings around them and smiled triumphantly when she found the one she was looking for. "They should be here tonight," she declared.

"Dingy," Jiraiya frowned looking at the place.

"Not all our ninja are wealthy authors who like to get drunk at random road shacks," Tsunade smirked.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes again and followed her inside the hole in the wall sake house. Several ninja looked up and bowed their heads respectfully as Tsunade walked by but she simply ignored them until she came to the table Asuma and Kurenai were sharing with several others. "Hokage-sama?" Asuma asked.

"Tell me everything you know about what Rin's been doing and your drinks will be paid for by Jiraiya," she offered smiling politely. Shizune sighed when Asuma and the man across from him smirked and nodded happily. "Talk," Tsunade stated sitting down in one of the chairs Jiraiya had pulled over.

"Where do you want us to start?" Asuma drawled.

"The date that she left and the reason if you know it."

"Ah…well I can't help you there. I had already joined the Twelve Guardians at least a year before she left," Asuma admitted.

"She left…it would have been March I think I heard. Nine years ago," Kurenai filled in gaining a surprised look from Asuma. "I was teaching at the Academy part time and one of the other kunoichi sensei knew her. Kara I think was her name. Her child should be the same age as Konohamaru and his friends."

"Gennai Kara?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes," Kurenai told him nodding after a moment.

"Why did she leave?"

"She got pregnant," the man across from Asuma blurted out.

"Why did that cause her to leave the village?" Tsunade asked.

"I don't know the details. I think she was about four months along when it came out. She was supposedly married but the Uchiha elders seemed convinced that she was lying about the father. I heard they thought it was Shisui, bull if you ask me," he muttered.

"I…I heard the trouble was with the Council. They weren't happy when she resigned from ANBU," Kurenai added.

"So she left to avoid trouble?"

"Uchiha Mikoto supposedly arranged it with a noble family or something that had connections to Minato-sensei."

"Taji exactly how much gossip do you listen to?" Asuma asked.

"I'm not the one who listens to gossip. I'm the one who had to listen to Shisui bitch about being dragged into clan council meetings where he had to swear multiple times that he hadn't slept with the woman," Taji muttered.

"Must have been a blow to his ego," Asuma snickered.

"Who is the father then?" Tsunade asked drawing blanks from the ninja at the table. "Are you telling me that during all this the father remained silent and then let his wife and child leave the village?"

"That's assuming the father is a ninja. Maybe that's why they arranged for her to leave," Jiraiya suggested.

"No, it's a ninja," Asuma corrected. "One of the other members of the Twelve knew her. She was called to Hifukidake at least twice for us to consult with. And five or six times when we needed a shinobi medic instead of one of the doctors at the capital."

"And this…"

"Lian," Asuma told Tsunade.

"Lian claimed that the father was a ninja?" Tsunade finished.

"He never said it, his fiancé did. She's another former ninja, can't remember her name, she was a few years older than us. I remember her team; her sensei was friends with Eriko-sensei and Minato-sensei. Kachuu maybe," Asuma suggested.

"Kara's teammate then," Jiraiya told him. "I can't remember the other girls' names. One of 'em might have been Ibar, the other was a plain name. Suku…Sura…can't remember."

"Suzu," Asuma corrected after thinking for a moment. "Ibara's still here. Retired I think. Kara died…would have been right before I got back, right?"

"Yes, seven years ago I guess. It seems like it should be less than that though, I remember hearing that she taught Naruto during his first year at the academy," Kurenai added.

"So they were friends with Shisui?" Tsunade asked moving the topic back to Rin. She quickly gained derisive snorts from both men.

"Shisui's brother, older by one year, was Uchiha Obito," Asuma told them. "They graduated the same year."

"The same Obito that Kakashi got the sharingan from?"

"Of course. I tried to have Rin demoted when I heard about that transplant," Tsunade mumbled.

"So did the Uchiha Clan," Asuma explained. "Shisui was pissed but Eriko-sensei was the one who convinced Fugaku that Rin and Kakashi weren't lying in the mission report. She said their description of Obito's behavior was right on."

"That doesn't explain why they were so closely associated that the clan would have assumed Shisui was the father or that Rin would have to leave because of it," Tsunade pointed out.

"Nothing explains why they believed that. Shisui hated Kakashi; Rin never would have sided with Shisui instead of Kakashi and she stuck up for him a lot when he wouldn't. The only times they associated with each other were when Mikoto forced them to," Taji claimed.

"Is it possible you missed something?" Jiraiya asked.

"Kakashi hates me too, so yeah. It wasn't like I went out of my way to associate with them. But Shisui joined the military police and both Rin and Kakashi would have been ANBU, they wouldn't have even worked together."

"Jiraiya, why would Rin hit you?" Asuma asked suddenly, changing the topic.

Jiraiya chuckled and brushed it off by commenting, "Like I said, I was drunk at the time."

"Drunken behavior doesn't explain why a nine year old would hit you. Or more importantly why her sensei would supposedly threaten to as well," Shizune pointed out.

"Especially since Rin and Minato-sensei had two of the most serene tempers I have ever seen," Taji added.

"I was trying to embarrass Kakashi. None the less I stand by what I said, it's more true now than ever before. And they only wanted people to think they were calm."

"I don't want to know why you were using a nine year old to embarrass Kakashi," Tsunade sighed standing up. "Tell the bartender that your bill goes on Jiraiya's tab. I'll be back in a bit."

"Who is she going to question now?" Asuma asked pulling out the cigarettes he had hidden while the Hokage was at their table.

"Looks like it's Anko and Genma's turn. She'll get nothing out of them. It looks like they're already acting too drunk to remember anything."

"Anko doesn't have to be drunk to not remember things."

"True, but Genma has to be sober to talk," Taji snickered.

Shizune frowned at them and noticed that Jiraiya was barely concealing disdain for their behavior. "The two of you could show a bit more respect," she bit out.

"Respect for what? We can't explain what we don't know," Asuma pointed out.

"Let's go."

Jiraiya turned and his eyes widened slightly at tired look on Tsunade's face. "Those two idiots claim to be too drunk to answer to my questions," she told him.

Jiraiya took a moment to look back at Taji and Asuma before rising to follow Tsunade out of the establishment. "Keep an eye on Naruto over the next couple of days," Tsunade finally said, calming down as they headed back to her quarters.

"Why? We'll keep him in the village but they won't be back that shortly," Jiraiya pointed out.

"Kakashi spoke with Anko earlier tonight. She was sober enough to pass on the message that the medic who treated Sakura's arm told the Harunos who attacked them. They confronted Kakashi and accused Naruto in the middle of the street. They're concerned about backlash."

"The kid hasn't had trouble lately," Jiraiya pointed out.

"They think trouble is going to be restarted so just keep an eye out for him."

_**XXXXXX**_

_**XXXXXX**_

Back inside the bar, Anko snickered as Tsunade made her way out the door. "How long do you all actually plan on dodging her questions?" Genma asked in amusement.

"What? We can't explain what we don't remember," Anko grinned back.

"You try using that on her and I bet she'll bring in the Yamanaka."

"Inoichi won't come near me," Anko bit out.

"Right. What was up with Rin today? She seemed off," Genma noted changing the subject as flawlessly as he could with a half empty sake bottle in front of him.

"She hasn't been here in like…four, five years," Anko reasoned. "Remember? They called her in to check on Sasuke."

"Doesn't explain her behavior around Naruto."

"Oh yeah because that wouldn't be awkward. Don't worry kid I know everything about you but you can't remember my face let alone my name. It's easier if he remembers on his own, less…frustrating that way. At least at first."

"She was provoking Tsunade."

"Yeah and did you notice that every question Tsunade asked was about her?"

"You're all insane," Genma muttered. "I just want to know who her informant is."

"Not a clue. I wasn't involved in any of that. I mean I've known she was in contact with them but not how."

"How long before she drags Kakashi in and makes him talk?"

"Won't happen. She's pissed off enough at his 'teaching methods'; haven't you noticed how often she sends him out on missions. If she'd give him a break the rest of us might have something to do but she wants him out of her hair, can't stand his attitude," Anko snickered.

"You're sabotaging her efforts to rule."

"Nope. We're letting her sabotage herself for long enough to let things settle down. The last thing we need is for her to go up against the council this early on."

"When this bites you in the ass I had nothing to do with it."

"Nothing to do with what?"

"Go pester your Chuunin," Genma declared standing up to leave and swatting at Anko's grinning face.

_**XXXXXX**_

_**XXXXXX**_

"Oi, if you aren't going to pay attention when I explain a new jutsu then why am I bothering with teaching you?"

"Because the hag told you to?" Naruto suggested grinning a bit sheepishly as he snapped his attention back to Jiraiya.

"No because you're supposed to be a promising student. But you won't amount to anything, let alone Hokage, if you don't actually focus on what you're learning and not something that happened two weeks ago."

"I was ready to focus this morning. You're the one who came here with a hangover and couldn't teach for the first two hours while I had to run through those stupid exercises," Naruto shout back.

"Whatever brat. We're done for today so go relax or something. Meet me again tomorrow morning," Jiraiya ordered him as his own mind drifted back to the previous night's activities and he began to giggle perversely.

Naruto rolled his eyes in annoyance and took off before Jiraiya could retract his order. Jiraiya came back to attention several minutes after Naruto had left and headed into town to bother his former teammate.

Barging into the public office, Jiraiya nearly scared Sakura out of her seat in an armchair by the door. Tsunade looked up from the official looking scroll she was reading long enough to glare at him before turning back to it and ignoring him. Not one to be dismissed so easily, Jiraiya pranced forward and took a seat across from her, kicking his feet up to rest on her desk and knocking several more scrolls off in the process. "I hope you're planning on picking those up, because I'm not calling my aides in to clean up your messes," she commented calmly not lifting her eyes to look at him.

Jiraiya snorted but bent over to pick up the scrolls anyways, taking the opportunity to glance over them before handing them back. "Kumokagure no Sato?" he questioned recognizing the seal on one of them.

Tsunade glanced up and held out a free hand, setting aside the scroll she had been reading. She quickly broke the seal and unfurled the scroll. She remained silent for several minutes before her eyes widened and swept over the scroll a second time.

"What?"

"I don't believe it."

"What's up?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"We received an official invite to a Chuunin Exam in Kumogakure," Tsunade snorted.

"Seriously?"

"Ah. One team is invited to participate one month from now. The Raikage says that the format is very similar to our own now but I'm not sure I trust that, I remember what it used to be like."

"Are you sending a team?"

Tsunade looked up with a small smirk on her face and then slowly slid her glance towards the small armchair that had been placed near the door. And more specifically to the pink haired girl sitting in it.

"You can't send them Tsunade."

"Yes I can. I just need to find a temporary teammate who will work well with them."

"This is Kumogakure," Jiraiya pointed out.

"Yes and that means that I can't…well won't send in a bloodline limit, at least not without a clan's permission first. Naruto and Sakura are ideal for this and they are ready for a Chuunin Exam."

"Ready for one here. For all you know the Raikage will tack something random onto the exam to block us out or get our students killed."

"Nonsense. They'll be fine and I'll send Kakashi with them."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Tsunade scowled at him but Jiraiya pressed on, "You're suggesting sending the apprentices of two of the Sannin, an inexperienced teammate, and the son of the White Fang into a territory we have a tentative truce with. The only thing dumber would be to send them to Iwagakure."

"Well it's a good thing I'm sending them to Kumogakure then," Tsunade smiled.

* * *

**Agent's Spiel: **Like I said, there was a lot more exposition in this chapter than I normally like. However, I figure it's better to get a lot more of this stuff out early instead of dumping it all in later.

This chapter also introduces the first OC (and mentions several others). I'm introducing him early because I don't want to heap them on you like I was going to have to in _AtD_ if I had continued. Tanan Taji was one of Asuma's teammates as Genin; he has more of a roll in the back-story than he will in this. In _AtD_ he was going to be introduced when he went to the capital in the last chapter I posted, but I ended up cutting it off before he appeared.

Also Genma's age is not…well it hasn't been said in canon but most bio's I've seen for him only list him as being a few years older than Kakashi. This makes him 35 (nine years older than Kakashi, Asuma and the others that age).

Okay review time. Thanks to everyone who reviewed; I was really glad to see that people from _AtD_ were reading this.

_SaitouuRyuuji, Tama Saga, CoffeeVixen76, Scribbling Death, DarkRavie, Kage Husha, AznPuffyHair, peppymint, Goukatenshi, show.me.the.stars, Nightcrawler2000, xTxNxLx, Azamiko, Jerrac, saltndpepper, Kazumi Tachikawa, RyougaZell, It happens, Lachwen, twilightm00n, _

I have a question about next chapter.

**Spoiler Alert for Shippuden:**

Obviously one of the jinchuriki, Nii Yugito, is from Kumogakure. While she won't play a role in the story, would you like to see any interaction between her and Naruto while they are there? And if so should either recognize the other as a jinchuriki?


	3. What Do I Have to Do Pt 1

**Agent's Spiel:** Sorry, it was a bad month so this is a fairly short update. Next month you'll get the rest of this chapter, plus a chapter of **No Good Deed**. Again sorry for the shortness, but hopefully you'll get enough suspense in this one and the next one will satisfy anyone who wants action.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

**What Do I Have to Do**

* * *

"You wanted to see us?" Kurenai spoke up hesitantly as she led her students into the Hokage's office. She frowned in confusion when she noticed both Asuma and Gai there with their teams as well.

"Come in. We're just waiting for a few more and then Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura," Tsunade explained.

"So another hour?" Asuma drawled.

"My rival would not be so irresponsible as to ignore the youthful, magnificent Hokage-"

"I sent Naruto and Sakura to badger him two hours ago so they'll be here shortly," Tsunade interrupted.

"And the others?" Jiraiya asked looking up from the notebook he was scribbling in.

"Their parents," Tsunade declared off-handedly.

"Wh-"

"You'll need their permission for what I'm going to offer. Of course, only one of you will be able to volunteer. Naruto and Sakura have already been selected," Tsunade answered before Ino could ask why.

"For what exactly?" Nara Shikaku asked stepping in with Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chouza. Several other parents including Hyuuga Hiashi, Inuzuka Tsume, and Aburame Shibi stepped in as well.

"Chuunin exam."

"Sunagakure isn't holding one for another year and I thought we weren't sending them to any of the smaller countries until relations with Otogakure calmed down," Tsume spoke up.

"That's why you're here. I assume Hiashi will be saying no immediately because the exam we were invited to send a team to is in Kumogakure no Sato," Tsunade told her.

"You're right. Neither Hinata nor Neji are allowed to go," Hiashi stated.

"Pity, Neji would've worked as a good third for them," Tsunade muttered.

"Does the Council know that you intend to send Uzumaki?" Shibi asked.

"No. And if someone decides to tell them before Team Kakashi leaves, I'll make sure to find out who has. Of course, it'll probably end up being Sakura's parents. They spent all morning trying to talk me out of it."

"Can't say I blame them," Inoichi muttered.

"And why is that?" Tsunade asked finally looking up to pin him with her gaze.

"The only thing more dangerous than sending her with those two into Kumogakure would be to send them to Iwagakure," he retorted.

"I already pointed that out," Jiraiya told him. "Your plan didn't work and I won the bet," he added looking at Tsunade.

"Time already?"

"An hour late and counting."

"Sakura's training is so doubled," Tsunade muttered glancing at the door again. "Anyways, we might as well get started. I want to start by hearing who you think is capable of taking this exam," she said moving around to the front of her desk. "Kurenai."

"Kiba and Shino both would be and they could work with Naruto and Sakura with a little preparation time. Hinata's obviously out," she claimed.

"But is she ready?" Tsunade pressured

Kurenai hesitated and glanced from Hinata's fidgeting form to Hiashi's steady gaze. "No, not with an unfamiliar team," she finally answered.

"Fair enough. Asuma?"

"Neither. I wouldn't put Ino or Chouji with those two. Too explosive of a combination and it leaves Ino and Chouji as the weak link in the team," he stated.

"Gai?"

"All three would be ready but they would have to decide if they would make good teammates with my rival's students," Gai claimed calmly not wanting to try Tsunade's patience while Kakashi still hadn't appeared.

"Fine of the five who have been 'nominated', who thinks they could work with Naruto and Sakura?"

"I really don't think I'd add anything to their teamwork," Tenten spoke up immediately. "They really need someone to balance out their…hyperactivity."

Tsunade nodded and Lee paused in his exuberant acceptance at Tenten's words. "If that is the case…I would not be a good match although if no one else is capable of going I will certainly join their team even if it means leaving Gai-sensei for a brief time," Lee stated proudly gaining a thumbs up from his sensei.

"And Neji?"

"I already said no," Hiashi spoke up.

"Ignore him," Tsunade said, waving off Hiashi and turning to Neji.

"I would certainly have nothing against working with them and do believe that we would be able to work together rather well," he admitted.

"Any way of changing your mind?" Tsunade asked turning to Hiashi. "He was the first person they suggested when I mentioned this to them," she added.

"If it were anywhere but Kumogakure I would not say no. But that team is loaded already and adding a Hyuuga could push many of their ninja over the edge and evoke a great deal of anger," he told her remaining surprisingly calm.

"Even Iwagakure?" Tsume quipped drawing on Inoichi's earlier comment.

"Even there. Although that is the last place the Hokage should want to send Uzumaki," he pointed out.

"Good. That means I can send Gai's team to the exam in Iwagakure we just got invited to," Tsunade interrupted happily not giving them time to react. "Now Shino and Kiba."

"I want to," Kiba stated immediately. Akamaru barked in agreement but both Kurenai and Asuma were motioning towards Shino.

"Well if Shino doesn't mind-"

"Hokage-sama," Tsume interrupted grimacing when Kiba turned to her angrily. "And keep your mouth shut while I talk pup," she said before turning back to Tsunade. "The Aburame boy is the better choice. Kiba could work with them but Akamaru isn't ready to take on the terrain and elements he's likely to face in Kumogakure."

"Will you go Shino?"

Tsunade's only answer was a brief nod and she glanced at Shibi happy to note that he had nodded as well. "Fair enough. You'll train with them under Kakashi for about a week and he'll run you through a few more exercises while you're on the road. The rest of you are dismissed. Shino, Shizune will take you to find Kakashi. Who knows where he dragged the brats to this afternoon."

The adults had just started to funnel out of the office when Tsunade heard Sakura asking them why they were all leaving. Jiraiya giggled next to her and she glared before calling out, "Sakura, if that's you and Kakashi's with you then get in here."

The doorway cleared for a moment and Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi entered all looking innocent and confused. "I thought the meeting wasn't supposed to start for another half an hour. We even got Kakashi-sensei here early, hag," Naruto told her.

She glared at the 'hag' comment but ignored it in favor of the first sentence he said. "What do you mean half an hour? I told Sakura the time it started," she pointed out turning to look at Sakura.

"But, but Jiraiya came and told us that the Council had called you into a meeting so this one was delayed."

Tsunade ignored the stifled snickers coming from Asuma and Inoichi and the not so stifled snickers coming from Jiraiya which she cut off by muttering "Your loss," to the white haired man. "If I had known you were that desperate to avoid going into Kumogakure I would have…no actually I wouldn't have proposed a different bet. This serves you right," she added turning to look at him.

"Ero Sennin is going with us?" Naruto asked.

"Not initially. From what the Raikage sent me, their exam is in two parts. If you make it past, the first then you have five or six weeks to prepare for the second exam, a tournament similar to the one here. _If_ you make it to the second round I'm sending him," she explained.

"And since you almost yelled at me when we got here, I guess he lied about the meeting's time so that we would arrive late?" Sakura questioned.

"Obviously."

"Wait you bet on whether or not my students could get me to arrive on time?" Kakashi asked a bit offended by the treatment of his students.

"So Jiraiya-_sama_ almost got me what…extra training?" Sakura asked, a small tic beginning above her eye.

"Doubled actually," Tsunade smiled as Sakura turned to glare at the white haired man. "But that isn't important. For now, the two of you will be going with Kakashi and Shino to begin teamwork exercises to prepare for the exam. You have a week before you hit the road."

_**XXXXXX**_

_**XXXXXX**_

"He looks happier than usual."

Sakura whipped around in surprise at Shino's statement before following what she assumed was his line of sight. Naruto was several meters ahead of them chatting animatedly to Kakashi, who, although he had his book out, appeared to actually be paying attention to the blond. "It's been a while since we've been able to train together," Sakura reasoned, not counting the one week they had spent together in Konoha before disembarking for Kumogakure no Sato where they were due to arrive shortly.

Sakura could admit to being nervous. Aside from the mission to Wave Country, she had never been outside of Fire Country, especially not to a foreign ninja power. Kakashi had assured the team that they would be safe. Hostilities with Kumogakure had ended nearly a decade before. Naruto had made sure to point out that technically hostilities with Sunagakure had been ended nearly half a century before they invaded alongside Orochimaru. His teammates had taken a moment to get over their surprise before Kakashi congratulated him on actually learning something more from Iruka and then promptly swatted him over the head.

"Many of those our parents' age seem to think this trip is a bad idea. Are you worried about it?" Shino continued accepting Sakura's brief answer for the brush off it was.

"Nope. We work well together. The exam in Konoha wasn't a piece of cake but I think all three of us are more prepared now," Sakura responded happily.

"I was referring to traveling with Hatake-san and Naruto-kun. According to our parents they could be perceived as opening old wounds."

"Well, I guess Kakashi-sensei would have fought in the war against them, he is old enough. Why would Naruto be a problem?" Sakura wondered aloud.

Shino gazed at her for a moment before shrugging. "Perhaps he resembles family who fought as well," he suggested.

"Well, I wouldn't have a clue about that. Neither would he since he doesn't know anything about his family," Sakura explained.

Shino's step faltered for a moment and Sakura looked at him curiously. "He knows nothing of them?" Shino asked.

"He knows he's an orphan. But to be honest he doesn't even know which parent his surname comes from," Sakura explained. "I tried to help him look it up once. I thought it would take his mind off things while he was in the hospital after…after Sasuke left. But I couldn't find anything. I didn't tell him this, but it looked like the last Uzumaki in Konoha was killed something like thirty years ago."

"Odd," Shino conceded.

"Hurry up you two, we're just about at the gates!" Kakashi yelled back, interrupting any further conversation.

Naruto was grinning excitedly and Kakashi was keeping him in place with one hand firmly planted on the younger boy's shoulder. Sakura and Shino quickly caught up with them and Kakashi took a moment to go over their briefing once more. "Remember, we go straight to administration to check in. None of you are to stray from my side inside the village, not even once we're checked in. We aren't taking any risks here as we don't know what other village's are competing. Be on your most professional behavior; we aren't in home territory anymore."

"Is that why Naruto wasn't allowed to wear orange?" Sakura giggled curiously.

"No, that was Jiraiya and Iruka being nitpicky. He was fine as he was," Kakashi informed her gaining a large grin from Naruto and a rather startled glance from Sakura. Pretending not to notice, Kakashi led the way forward and as soon as they rounded a bend in the road the discreet stone gates of Kumogakure no Sato were in front of them.

"Are you beginning to understand why Kiba's mother held him back?" Kakashi asked, glancing at Shino.

"Yes. Even my bugs struggled to adjust to the atmosphere. With the new scents, Akamaru would be far too hyper and could miss orders."

"Is it that different? I mean I noticed a small climate change. It is more humid and warmer than Konoha but not even the plant life is _that_ different," Sakura pointed out.

"There are a lot of subtle differences that our senses normally wouldn't pick up," Kakashi explained.

"Hatake Kakashi?"

Kakashi turned and eyed the light haired man who had spoken to him. "Yes?"

"My name is Io Hiroto. I was asked to escort you and your team to administration," he explained.

"Lead the way."

"The Raikage is waiting for us," the young man explained as he continued to move on. "He was pleased that the Hokage accepted his offer. Our Daimyo has been wanting to expand our Chuunin Exam for some time now and it was decided that it was time for the Five Powers to reopen communication."

Kakashi hummed as if he were paying attention but Naruto had to stifle his laughter when he noticed that his sensei's attention had gone back to the little orange book in his hand. Sakura continued paying attention as the young man babbled on during their walk to the administration building. As they neared the large building, Naruto began noticing the large number of ninja on the streets, all with various forehead protectors. He looked around curiously for any familiar faces but it was a plain forehead protector that caught his attention instead.

"Kakashi-sensei," he spoke up quietly. Kakashi glanced down at him and Naruto nodded back at the two men he had seen.

"Well that's interesting," Kakashi muttered a bit angrily.

"Isn't it," their guide spoke up happily.

"I'm sorry what?" Kakashi asked.

"I was just stating that it had been about five years since our Daimyo took power and began opening lines of communication with the smaller countries and then you said-"

"My apologies…Hiroto-san was it? I was simply referring to my students' competitors," Kakashi said quickly trying to divert their guide from going on another tangent.

"Oh yes. We have been quite pleased with the turn out for this exam. We had more response from the smaller countries than we had originally expected," Hiroto explained.

Kakashi nodded and ruffled Naruto's hair to bring his attention back on where they were going. "Don't worry about it," he whispered. Kakashi's composure was broken when Hiroto led the team to a smaller room in the administration building.

"The team from Konoha is here," Hiroto stated, knocking briefly on the door.

"Thank you. I'll be with them in just a moment," a male, who Kakashi assumed was the Raikage, called out.

Hiroto unnecessarily repeated the message to them adding, "He wasn't expecting Orochimaru-sama to arrive this early in the proceedings. We're quite excited to see how such a young nation fairs!"

"Can we worry now?" Naruto whispered.

"Think you can hold it in until we're in our lodgings?" Kakashi asked once again thanking his father for inspiring him to wear a mask. Of course, it was also probably his father's fault that his reputation was as bad as it was in the first place. _Just one more bit of karmic backlash Naruto and I get to deal with_, he thought as Sakura looked up at him a bit fearfully. _For once, I wish Jiraiya had managed to talk to some sense into Tsunade_.

* * *

**Agent's Spiel:** If you read AtD, or really anything else I've put up here, you may remember that I am very inconsistent when it comes to metric vs. U.S. standards (I have no clue what the real name for these is). Typically I'll refer to smaller measurements as feet. But heights and larger distances in metric. I hope people don't get too confused but you can always ask if it happens. 

The stuff about Akamaru is purely for plot as I know nothing of training dogs. However, I would assume that you would not take a dog in training for a serious hunt in an environment it has never worked in before. It's seems logical that a more mature animal would be able to adapt more easily than a less experienced one.

Also does anyone know what Shino's bugs are actually called? For some reason the word Kikai comes to mind but I'm not sure. It isn't all that important but if I could call them something less generic I wouldn't mind.

Thanks to reviewers:

_Peppymint, Kage Husha, DarkRavie, show.me.the.stars, xheartkreuzx, Kazumi Tachikawa, KunochiDreamer, Azamiko, Goukatenshi, xTxNxLx, AznPuffyHair, Lachwen, someone179, WalkingDisasters, RyougaZell, Hiei's Cute Girl._

**Question time**: this is for those who asked about **After the Dream**. A bunch of people seemed interested in it still being available and while I'm definitely not putting it back here, I have considered putting it on a site I'm not really active on, like mediaminer. Would readers of the old version of this story like it to be available for comparison or enjoyment on another site?


	4. What Do I Have to Do Pt 2

**Agent's Spiel:** This is pt. II of the third chapter. There is actually a pt. III and IV as well. They will go up next month and the month after that. Sorry for short chapters right now; my current focus is my other story **Juniper**, so while I'm making sure you're getting regular updates they are going to be shorter for a while longer. Hopefully they will never be quite this short again, 5 pages really isn't enough but if I had tried to go any further it would have just been more awkward.

I may have a chapter of **No Good Deed** up some time in the next few days, but if I can't finish it I'll just wait until the next month. Sorry.

Also, **After the Dream** went up on mediaminer a few days ago. I was too lazy to upload it all at once (too much time to edit format) so I'll put up a few chapters every once in a while or something until it's all up there (Probably by the end of the month).

Ugg, horrible transition into this one but I just couldn't seem to get started. Also, in case you don't remember, Hiroto is the Cloud ninja who escorted Kakashi and the brats when the reached Kumogakure.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

**What Do I Have to Do**

"I can't believe Konoha sent Hatake and his brats," Hiroto muttered entering the lounge after leaving Kakashi in the observation room for the first exam.

"You had to escort them around right?" another ninja of Kumogakure asked.

"Yeah."

"What are they like? I never faced Hatake, I was just a Genin when we were at war," someone asked.

"He's…he must be really good at acting because most of the time he just kept his head in that book he was reading. He only seemed to listen to one of his students, the blond one…Uzumaki I think his name was."

"Konohagakure sent Hatake's actual students? Uzumaki and Haruno? Who are they paired with?"

Hiroto glanced over at the Sound nin who had spoken and frowned, he still wasn't very thrilled at how involved Otogakure had been in planning this exam. "The third teammate was really quiet. I think his name was Aburame," he finally answered.

"Are all the examiners in place?" a small woman asked stepping into the room.

"Yes, Seki-sama."

"Pairings…randomized?" she asked smirking.

"Of course."

"Where is the team from Konohagakure?"

"They were placed in sector 6 just like you asked," Hiroto answered.

"I think his brats will have plenty of fun against their opponent," one of the local ninja commented, smirking.

"Who'd they get paired up against?"

"Nii Yugito. She's a young jounin, but they won't know what hit 'em."

"If she's so inexperienced-"

"Not inexperienced. Young. And she has power that they-"

"He's trying to hint mysteriously that Yugito is a jinchuriki," Seki explained in boredom.

"Konoha won't know how to handle that."

"There were rumors that a jinchuriki from Sunagakure was involved in the invasion so they may have experience," a Sound ninja spoke up.

"Uchiha handled him. These three won't have a clue," another Sound ninja corrected.

**XXXXXXX**

**XXXXXXX**

"Naruto. Who beat Gaara during the invasion? Was Sasuke telling the truth when he said it was you?" Shino asked suddenly.

Naruto came up short and turned around to look at him. It was the first time in the four hours since they had entered the exam area that the other boy had spoken. "Huh?"

"Who fought Gaara?" Shino repeated looking slightly bothered.

"I did. I didn't really beat him though; it was more of a stalemate. Why?"

"Were you aware of what he is?" Shino asked.

"What's taking you two so long? We need to keep moving," Sakura stated appearing in a tree over Naruto.

"I need an answer before we can go farther. I think we're being set up," Shino stated.

"What he is? …Do you mean Shukaku?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Yes. So you know he's a jinchuriki?" Shino asked.

"What's a jinchuriki?" Sakura interrupted dropping down and squatting down for more coverage.

"Someone who has a tailed beast sealed in them," Shino explained.

"Yeah, I knew, why?" Naruto urged trying to move them along.

"The kikai I placed on our guide just returned. In this exam they're going to be sending Jounin after us. They'll probably be the main competition."

"Konoha Genin teams are selected to be able to take down a Jounin at three to one and we're all strong than that by now. We'll be fine," Sakura cut in.

"Our Jounin is a jinchuriki. That's what you're saying?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. I also think we were started in the most difficult sector," Shino answered.

"Damn," Sakura muttered. "Let's go over the objectives again and figure out a faster way to get this done. I don't want to leave any openings," she insisted beckoning for them to move closer.

"This is exam is poorly organized," Shino stated. "It's all about brute strength and stamina. Ours tests mental competence as well."

"Yeah, and I think our team is more fit for handling that than a more experienced…whatever you called him," Sakura muttered.

"We'll be able to handle it," Naruto promised.

"No. You probably would have been better off with Kiba. He's fought alongside you before," Shino pointed out. "Our training together was more to prepare for mental battles that would try our teamwork."

"That's normal for us," Sakura promised. "We don't fight well together. Even Naruto and I haven't trained to fight together in over seven months. We just sort of have to take what we know about each other and hope we can each stand our ground," she explained.

"Okay so we have to have at least the scroll we were given when we started, we can't lose it right?" Naruto asked. "But any others that we gain improve our standing at the end."

"So would we rather just make it out with that one and avoid confrontation or do we want to go up against our competition?" Sakura asked.

"We should only go against those who come to us. We're likely targets anyways. If we're careful, we'll probably just take them out that way," Shino suggested.

"But are you okay with running that out? No matter what we're here for three days and we only have to move about fifteen kilometers. Didn't you guys use ambush techniques in our exam?" Sakura asked.

"Only one. We got out of the forest as quickly as possible. I can use the kikai to scout from now on. That puts us at less of a risk," Shino offered.

"Naruto can you use your clones to distract people a bit?"

"How many?" Naruto asked.

"At least four other teams," Sakura told him, "And maybe a few other singles; we might be able to use traps if we get enough warning."

"Let's get moving then," Naruto said as he created about thirty clones and had eight of them transform into copies of Sakura and Shino before dismissing them. Most of them were accompanied by at least one of Shino's bugs while more of the kikai fanned out along the path they had been heading alone.

"Let's get this over with," Sakura agreed falling in as Shino led them away.

**XXXXXXX**

**XXXXXXX**

By the next night the three were tired and growing paranoid. Sakura grumbled as she remembered the two hours of sleep she had managed while her teammates took their turns at watch, and how much worse Naruto probably was since his sleeping time had been split up by the second shift. None-the-less, they had yet to run into a single opponent. The kikai and Naruto's clones had allowed them to avoid two run-ins but there was no sign of the jounin whom Shino had heard of.

"Guys, we need to take a break," Sakura finally claimed moving to land in the same tree that Naruto had landed in.

"Does anyone else feel like we're running in circles?" Naruto asked, looking around in annoyance.

"Yes. But the surroundings here have been repetitive anyways. I can't tell if we're stuck in a loop or not," Shino admitted.

"What about the kikai?" Sakura asked.

Shino shook his head. "The best I can do is start leaving them as a warning system. That way I'll know if we've been past a spot. They offer no defense for genjutsu," he admitted.

"Well, let's try that," Sakura decided. "What tipped us off in the Forest of Death?" she asked turning to Naruto.

"The bug. The loop we were caught didn't change our surroundings, just the appearance of our goal so we passed it several times."

"If this is the same thing, Shino's kikai can do the same as long as we don't rely on them visually," Sakura decided.

"Still, why attack us so early in the game? You can't leave the exam area until tomorrow night," Shino pointed out.

"Maybe the Jounin is good at genjutsu," Sakura suggested.

"I doubt it. Unless whatever demon they have specialized in illusions. It's really hard to control your chakra so genjutsu skill isn't likely," Naruto told her drawing a baffled look from his teammate.

"Then we assume it's a team of Genin trying to wear us out," Shino interrupted before Sakura could question Naruto further. "You said you've run into something similar before. Tell me more about it and how you handled it."

"They used a genjutsu. It looked like clones but they were all illusions. They were hiding and would use the genjutsu as distractions so they could attack while remaining hidden and tire us out. Naruto used his clones to distract them by making them think we were out of energy and then we took them down," Sakura explained.

"He already has clones out there so that may be enough," Shino stated. "If we discover a loop then we'll use more clones and kikai to seek out the culprits. For now, let's keep moving."

"Umm…Naruto…promise me that if this is the same trick you won't be quite as reckless as last time," Sakura said before the blond could take off.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. No unnecessary injuries and listen to the smart people," Naruto grinned at her.

"I'd feel better if I was sure you weren't joking," Sakura muttered as the two leapt after Shino. "Kabuto's not here to save us this time."

"He wasn't there to save us that time either," Naruto whispered to himself.

* * *

**Agent's Spiel:** On a random note, I should have just gone with Kiba. Shino's younger self appeared so rarely in the manga that I was grasping blindly for most of his abilities. Sorry if it bothers anyone. If you spot any huge mistakes, just tell me.

Thanks to all my reviewers (did I get back to any of you? I totally can't remember…):

_Kage Husha, DarkRavie, Hiei's Cute Girl, black suede, DeathGod666, Bobboky, xheartkreuzx, peppymint, Azamiko, someone179, show.me.the.stars, xTxNxLx, KunochiDreamer, Tearhiaq, ArikoUzumaki, creepy crab, It happens, Lady Renyel of Arella, Sprig, Scribbling Death, _

Also, thanks to Lady Renyel for raising my confidence a bit. I've had trouble finding a lot of information about training dogs so your comment made me feel like I wasn't off the rocker in my assumptions (sorry I didn't get back to you personally).


	5. What Do I Have to Do Pt 3

Agent's Spiel: Okay, Part III of IV

**Agent's Spiel**: Okay, Part III of ? There was supposed to be action in this one but I ended up not getting anywhere near as far as I had wanted so there are really only hints of fights to come. My goal for next time is to just finish this chapter and give you a nice long update for once.

I'll admit I got a bit lucky on this one. Shino's been shown more frequently in the recent manga chapters and since I've been getting caught up I got to see more of where his abilities are headed and a bit more of his personality. I'm not sure I got either right, but hopefully it'll still work out. He strikes me as being a bit sulky with a quirky sense of humor so that's how he's going to come out.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

**What Do I Have to Do**

Two hours later, the forest was pitch black and they were certain they were going in loops. "Stop, we just passed my kikai marker," Shino stated.

"We may have a bigger problem. One of my clone teams was just destroyed," Naruto added.

"Do you know how far away the clones were?" Sakura asked.

"Maybe two kilometers. West of here," Naruto answered frowning.

"You can tell all that?" Shino asked in surprise.

"When clones are destroyed, their memories transfer back to me. It's a bit sketchy, and distance is hard to tell," Naruto explained.

"I think every time I learn more about that jutsu I get more jealous," Sakura muttered.

"Heheh, yeah wait'll you here how Kakashi taught me how to use it in training. The more clones I use, the faster I can learn a technique," Naruto grinned.

"How do you have enough chakra to make use of that?" Shino asked.

"I'm lucky?" Naruto offered fighting the urge not to frown. "Anyways, we know we're caught. How do we get out of it?" he asked changing the subject.

"I don't remember genjutsu cancellation working last time," Sakura pondered before placing her hands in the tiger seal and intoning, "Kai." When nothing happened she nodded. "It's placed over the area not us; that's why the cancellation doesn't work. It's just like what Kotetsu and Izumo did during their pretest. If the bugs could find a way out we might be able to leave the area of the genjutsu, but it's risky," she suggested.

"I'll try it," Shino offered. "Until I hear back or they attack, we should probably just rest," he added after dispersing more kikai. "They'll also try to locate the attackers," he added quietly, gaining a nod of understanding from the other two.

While they sat and waited quietly Naruto began an internal debate about whether or not the toads would be helpful. He hadn't needed to summon them since the fight between the Sannin and, although his chakra control had improved, he could still remember that disastrous attempt.

"Are you thinking of doing something stupid?" Sakura asked brashly before he could come to a conclusion.

"I'm not sure if it's stupid," Naruto admitted. "I was thinking of summoning a toad so we could send word to Kakashi-sensei. He probably figured out what's going on but just in case I was gonna let him know."

"Well that's fine. Might get us disqualified but I honestly don't care about that at this point," Sakura admitted gaining a nod from Shino.

"The situation definitely calls for it. Why would that be stupid?" Shino asked.

"Summoning's complicated. I don't always call out the right sized toad and only a few of them will really listen to me," he admitted.

"I don't see how at least trying could hurt. If you call out a small one on the first try then we can send that toad straight off. If you accidentally put too much chakra in and call out something too large to use as a messenger we could still use a lookout. Not like you can call out a boss so as long as you don't drain your chakra," Sakura cautioned him.

Naruto stared at her for a moment before deciding it wasn't really necessary to warn her that he _could_ summon the boss. Instead, he bit his thumb and performed the correct hand seals and slapped his hand onto the tree branch they were using as a perch. There was a small puff of smoke and Naruto sighed in relief when Gamakichi appeared in front of him.

"See small," Sakura nodded.

"I ain't small sister," Gamakichi snorted.

"Well compared to your dad," Naruto pointed out shrugging at the small orange toad.

"Where are we? This ain't Fire Country," Gamakichi asked finally turning to Naruto. "And I expect food too."

"Not now but maybe I'll treat you to some ramen when we get back to Konoha. Right now we're in Kumogakure," Naruto managed to get out before the small toad leapt up and used his hind legs to slap Naruto in the face.

"You fool, what are you doing in a place like this? This country is hostile, even I know that!"

"We're here for the Chuunin exam," Sakura interrupted. "The Hokage was trying to reestablish better relations but we're in a bit of trouble. We're caught in a looped genjutsu and we're stuck while we're finding a way out and this leaves us sitting ducks."

"I need you to take a message to my sensei," Naruto explained.

"Jiraiya's here? He'll be getting a mouthful when I see him. Dad'll flip over this," Gamakichi stated.

"No not Jiraiya. My team's sensei. Hatake Kakashi. He has white hair, like Jiraiya, but it's short and stands up on end. Also he wears a mask that covers most of his face," Naruto explained. "He'll be the only other Leaf ninja that you'll find in the village."

"No can do bro. I get that you need to contact him and we know who Kakashi is. Jiraiya likes to complain about the one-eyed brat his student taught. But I'm too noticeable. I'll stay with you instead," Gamakichi decided.

"Is there a less noticeable summon I could use?" Naruto asked looking over at his current teammates.

"What's the problem? You said you could get outta the genjutsu on your own."

"Yeah but part of the exam includes going up against Jounin from Kumogakure no Sato. Shino's kikai overheard the examiners talking and the Jounin coming after us is a jinchuriki. An older, more experienced jinchuriki. And we don't know which tailed beast this person has," Naruto explained.

"You're screwed bro. You got lucky pops could help you against Shukaku."

"Which is why we need to get a message to our sensei," Sakura hissed impatiently. "Please just tell him if there's another summon he can use."

"Fine but not for you. I don't like you any more," Gamakichi stated. "I don't really like these guys, they aren't toads but they'd be able to remain unnoticed and for some reason the Elder Sage Toad included them in the contract. Plus they can speak human so they'll be able to take your message and a few can stay here and help out."

"Okay what do I do?" Naruto asked.

"Hmmm, I suppose explaining chakra proportioning wouldn't work in this case. Come closer and I'll whisper the seals, these two can't hear 'em," Gamakichi explained.

Sakura and Shino were left deaf to the following conversation but Naruto appeared to be following the toad's instructions without too much confusion. After a moment, the two straightened and Naruto bit into his thumb again. He quickly wrote out a few seals on his right palm and then performed the same seals as before – at least as far as Sakura could follow – before stating, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Amagaeru Sentai."

As another, still barely noticeable, plume of smoke appeared, Gamakichi moved to perch himself out of the way on Naruto's head, nearly cowering in the blond spikes.

"Yo! Who are you? I thought we only had some dumb white haired summoner," a small voice called out before any of the Genin could get a glimpse of the frogs. Sakura barely caught sight of a flurry of movement within the smoke before it began to clear and reveal and empty spot on the branch.

Gamakichi tapped Naruto's head and pointed up into the small branch above them. Naruto looked up and his eyes widened when he saw dozens of tiny grey eyes staring down at him and his teammates. "Moe, stand before the summoner," Gamakichi called out.

"I don't trust this one," the same small voice called out finally bringing Sakura and Shino's attention up to the branch as well.

Naruto looked closely at the small toads and help up one of his hands near the one he thought was speaking. "It's really important," he stated. "We need to get a message out and Gamakichi needs to stay with me. He said one of you would be best able to do this."

The small frog hopped lightly onto his hand and Naruto lowered her so that the group could see her. "What is it you need us to do ji-" Moe asked suspiciously.

"Jiraiya is the other summoner. This is Naruto, he needs one of you to take a message to the one-eyed brat," Gamakichi spoke up, glaring at the frog from his perch on Naruto head. "Of course, he's in the middle of Kumogakure with a lot of Cloud nin surrounding him."

"Oh, well we can handle that. Just cuz 'Kichi is scared doesn't mean we are!" Moe boasted.

"Well, it still might be a good idea for just two or three to go," Sakura recommended.

"That's fine. The rest of us'll stick with you. Got any food?" Moe asked.

"Why do all of you ask for food?" Naruto asked in exasperation as he pulled his bag open and pulled out some of the provisions Iruka had forced on him. He offered a few dried orange slices to Moe and Gamakichi and both quickly took to them.

"Kyo, Ren, and Kouba will take the message," Moe told them as three more of the small frogs appeared on the same branch as the Genin. Sakura was still very aware that there were at least half a dozen more still on the branch over head. "What does the one-eyed brat need to know?"

"We need to tell him that Shino's kikai overheard some Jounin talking about the exam. In it we're going to face a Jounin and the admitted that the one coming after us is a jinchuriki," Naruto explained.

"Why does that matter?" Moe asked lazily.

"Please just take the message. It's important that it gets to him," Sakura pleaded.

"Fine, fine. Which way is the village?"

"North of here. But you'd be better off traveling east first and getting out of this forest," Shino explained. "It will add close to four kilometers to your trip though."

"Oh that's fine. We're really fast," Moe assured him. "They'll find the one-eyed brat by morning," she added.

"Alright. Just add that we'll see him when the exam ends the next morning," Sakura suggested.

"Will do!"

"Righto!"

"Bye bye Kichi-kun. We'll miss you while we're out being useful!"

Sakura stared at the quickly retreating forms and then up to the branch above. "What should we have the rest of them do?" she asked as Gamakichi went about giving away their position by shouting obscenities at the messengers.

"For now they can follow us. While we were talking, one of my female kikai managed to latch onto another participant. We can follow her trail out of this. Once we've done that we'll decide what to do," Shino stated.

"Good. I'm not sure how subtle it'll be if they all follow us though. Maybe some of them should hide in our bags," Sakura suggested.

"Free ride!" one of the frogs shouted before jumping into Naruto's open bag. The rest of the group followed from the branch above but Moe jumped onto Sakura's head instead.

"We're ready! Run! Run! Jump! Jump!" several of the frogs shouted from inside Naruto's bag.

"Might as well get going," Shino stated standing up. "This way."

"And you wonder why I hate them," Gamakichi muttered disparagingly into Naruto's hair as the tree frogs continued to chant obnoxiously.

"Um…can you keep it down a bit? We don't want to get caught," Naruto pointed out to the ones in his bag.

"You heard the ji…Naruto! Keep quiet 'til we're needed again," Moe barked as roughly as she could. The frogs in Naruto's bag quickly quieted down and the group continued on their way.

They hadn't even traveled a fourth of a kilometer before they were barraged with kunai and forced out of the trees and into the only coverage they could find. "Okay, so they aren't gonna let us go without a fight," Naruto muttered glancing around the large root they were hiding behind.

"Last time, they hid underground right?" Sakura asked, gaining an immediate nod from Naruto. "Can you use something like the rasengan to dig into it?" Sakura asked.

"I don't think it would create a large enough effect," Naruto admitted. "Have you been learning any of the hag's strength techniques?" Naruto asked. "I remember seeing her kick the ground once, she completely shattered it," he explained, innocently omitting the part where she had shattered the ground because he had charged at her with an incomplete rasengan.

"I've started, but I'm not very far. I certainly wouldn't be able to do anything in this case," Sakura admitted.

"The Hokage's strength is that massive?" Shino asked in awe.

"Yeah," Naruto grinned. "Right before I met her, Jiraiya and I came across this massive hole in this stone wall, it was like three feet thick and she had somehow smashed like a fifteen foot section of it."

"And you willingly call her 'hag' to her face?" Shino asked quickly rethinking Naruto's sanity.

"What? She deserves it. She's like fifty," Naruto argued gaining a groan from Sakura.

"Okay look-" Sakura was cut off from continuing when their opponent apparently grew tired of waiting for them to come back out and decided to move after the trio. Naruto nodded his head up and all three moved back into the coverage of the foliage.

"I don't think this'll work again, but it's worth a try," he muttered creating three more clones and having two of them turn into copies of Shino and Sakura. The three clones dropped to the branch below and the real three were left to wait and see if it worked.

Surprisingly it did. For nearly an hour, the clones could be heard dodging around. "We need a plan. I really don't think this will work for much longer," Shino finally insisted.

"Well last time it kept them occupied all through the night," Sakura admitted.

"We don't even know that this is the same team," Shino pointed out.

"Actually, it is," Naruto claimed pointing down at the tops of their attackers' heads. "I wasn't sure at first because the uniforms are different colors and the face masks but now, there's no doubt. It's the same guys from the Chuunin exam. I guess they just haven't recognized my clone or the Sakura copy."

Shino stared at him for a moment, at least Naruto assumed he was being stared at, before nodding. "Still we should find them and make an attack soon so we can get away from here and rest or we should take the opportunity to rest now and attack when they've started to get worn down as well."

"Have either of you been able to locate the real team?" Sakura asked. Both of the boys shook their heads and she commented, "Then aren't we better off resting while the clones distract them and your kikai…and maybe a few of the frogs try to search them out?"

"Can you do that?" Naruto asked looking up at the little frog still on Sakura's head.

"Sure. Not sure how successful we'll be though," Moe admitted.

"Then we should try to rest. Sakura, take first watch. I'll take second," Shino stated before settling down against the trunk of the tree. Naruto moved to the branch above her and settled in before opening his bag and letting out the frogs to receive orders from Moe. Once they had disappeared, the Team was left to wait.

* * *

**Agent's Spiel**: This obviously wasn't supposed to cut off here so the 'resting period' would have been left out if I had been able to continue. Like I said above I'm gonna try really hard to pull out a longer update and finish this chapter. The exam itself wasn't supposed to be that important and I've ended up dragging it out more than I had wanted.

I will be completely honest with you guys. Moe – the Amagaeru squad leader is named just so I can have Naruto and Sakura tease Moegi later on. Another thing, I have no clue what toads/frogs (aside from flies) eat and since these guys are summons and not normal I didn't bother looking up so if you're angry at what he fed them just assume these guys can eat whatever they want.

The guys from Hidden Rain appeared in the original Chuunin Exams – yes they are supposed to be dumb enough to assume the same trick will work twice (although at first they aren't actually meant to recognize Naruto or Sakura), and no I don't consider the filler episode in which they appeared to be canon so they haven't run in to Team 7 since the exams.

Also, I almost had them run from Yugito. Seriously, Naruto was gonna summon Gamabunta then and there and there wasn't going to even be a fight. In the end, I figured you guys deserved an action packed chapter so I went ahead and expanded their fight a bit more.

Jutsu (if the name wasn't written in the story I pointed out where it was used; **bold** means the jutsu is not canon – meaning I made it up, expect bad names):

_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_: Spiritualism Technique (Naruto Summoning)

_**Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Amagaeru Sentai**_: Spiritualism Technique: Amagaeru (Tree Frog) Squadron (Naruto summoning the cute litte tree frogs who have dislike Gamakichi – it's mutual. I have to admit I adore these little guys and the only other candidates were an orange toad I found, but it was extinct so I decided you use them.)

Thanks to all my reviewers:

_Ero-kun, Michi P, Hebi R, DarkRavie, Kage Husha, xTxNxLx, ScribblingDeath, KunochiDreamer, show.me.the.stars, peppymint, Lady Renyel of Arella, Tama Saga, Azamiko, someone179, Khellan Rafe, It happens._

I put this note up in one of my other fics and over the next week or so I'm going to be adding it to all of my other ongoing ones. I haven't had any bad reviews or anything, but I don't have as much time and I have a rather short temper. This is more to save well-meaning reviewers from ending up with an irate response that I wrote and sent before coming to my senses.

**1. I don't respond to questions about pairings. I decide those and I don't give them away ahead of time because that spoils the fun.**

**2. Please read the notes at the beginning and end of each chapter before asking questions. If it's already been answered, I'll probably ignore your question.**

**3. Lastly, before begging me to 'update soon' please understand that I'm updating once a month, no less **_**and**_** definitely not any more than that until I have finished writing this story.**

Anything else is fair game and I accept all criticism and will try my best to answer all questions.


	6. What Do I Have to Do Pt 4

Agent's Spiel: Okay, Part IV

**Agent's Spiel**: Just a random note, anyone else heard about the supposed big foot they caught in Georgia (USA)? I consider myself an amused sceptic (at the very least these things are good for a few laughs and campfire stories) but this should be interesting if the press conference on Friday actually ends up being credible. If not, well like a said, a few laughs at least.

Okay, Part IV. The chapter is finally finished and we can move on after this. I'm not sure it was entirely worth the wait, but this was a lot of fun to finally write, except the middle part. Barring an emergency, there will be an update next month.

I had a request last chapter to start doing summaries but umm…honestly part of the reason I won't is laziness. It takes too much work to find a way to summarize things, this is why my story summaries suck so much. The second reason is that I've tried that before and I didn't like how it worked out. I always felt like I was summarizing the wrong the stuff and then people weren't putting together any of the pieces of the puzzle.

I know I don't update frequently and I apologize for that, but if you get really confused because of the long waits in between chapters, maybe consider not reading each individual update but just checking back every few months and getting a larger dose.

**Possible Spoiler:** I wasn't originally going to do this but I'm avoiding original characters when possible. I can't remember what chapter these two characters first appear in but it is Shippuden and they are from Sound. It is possible that another one who appears with them in the manga may appear in this story as well. By then I'll try and find the actual chapter number. This isn't a major spoiler in my opinion because I'm not giving the plot away but if you really don't want to know anything about future characters…well Yugito already showed up so sorry.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

**What Do I Have to Do**

Shino had been on watch for an hour when he noticed that Naruto was awake and alert next to him. The blond reached over and nudged Sakura awake before whispering, "They popped a clone. We need to attack now."

"Do we know the real team's location?" Sakura asked.

"In the brush about five meters that way," Shino answered pointing to their left.

"Alright. We should try to get above them, quietly," Sakura stated.

"Gamakichi, tell Moe and the others to get ready to leave as soon as we've taken care of this," Naruto whispered setting the toad down on the branch.

The trio crept through the branches and hopped through a few more trees until they could see a set of three heads below them. The other team was peering out into the dark suspiciously. "It's the same ones from Konoha," one of them muttered. "They tried the same thing on us then."

"Where's the white haired one? He was dangerous," one of the others claimed.

"Must not be on their team. Keep an eye out for the blond," the third claimed.

Naruto couldn't help the small grin that crept onto his face when he heard the anger and recognition in the last one's voice. They hadn't even remembered Sasuke.

Shino pointed to each of the young men below them in turn as he assigned opponents and Naruto and Sakura each nodded before quickly jumping off their perch. Sakura had the best luck and landed right on her opponent. Landing a single kick to his head before he stilled.

Shino's kikai swarmed his opponent and after several moments the other boy's thrashing stilled as his air supply was cut off and he was knocked unconscious as well. Naruto made quick work of his opponent when he noticed that both of his teammates had finished so quickly. He frowned at the lack of action and looked around almost hoping that they attacked clones of the team rather than the real ones. "We got them. Good work, let's get out of here," Sakura claimed once she was done sifting through the other teams' packs and had managed to find their marker scroll.

"Are we sure?" Naruto asked, nodding briefly to Gamakichi when the toad returned with the tree frog squad.

"Definitely," Sakura stated.

"Then we should get to the end as quickly as possible, there are more teams in this area. It's almost morning, we have the rest of the day and the next night no matter what but if we can get to the end of the course we can wait it out there," Shino added. "If we're lucky the Jounin won't find us."

"And lucky for us we found you first."

Sakura frowned and turned to look at whoever had spoken. She sneered when she saw the music note on the forehead protector. "Traitors," Shino muttered as his kikai began to react to his anger.

Naruto summoned more clones and prepared to fight as two more Genin appeared to back up the violet haired girl who had spoken to them. Naruto thought that the red haired girl was far too snide despite the fact that the other team hadn't managed to do anything but sort of sneak up on them.

"I'm Yukira of Otogakure. Orochimaru-sama has ordered us to take you out before you become a threat. You will never be allowed to retrieve Sasuke-sama," the violet haired one claimed, bringing her hands together and forming several seals. "Tou Tsurukusa no Jutsu," she said before several vines shot out of the trees above Team 7.

Naruto, Sakura, and Shino shot apart before turning towards their attackers. Naruto headed towards the only boy of the group who had remained silently behind the two girls. Sakura veered towards the red haired girl once she saw Shino turn to Yukira.

"Hey! Why are you attacking me?" the whined when Naruto punched him. He hadn't even attempted to dodge.

"You're attacking us!" Naruto shot back.

"I didn't attack you. The whore did," the boy one wined again.

Naruto actually paused in confusion and watched the boy carefully as he continued to sit on the ground and rub the cheek Naruto had punched. His eyes narrowed when he realized that the boy's teeth were filed into sharp points like Zabuza's had been. "What the hell does that mean?" Naruto finally asked. The boy in front of him honestly didn't seem to be doing anything to prepare to attack Naruto again.

"This is a boring assignment. And it's too humid in this country. I'm too parched to fight so just take this. I don't really think you could ever get strong enough to take on that Uchiha jerk," the boy said pulling out a scroll and tossing it to Naruto.

Naruto instinctively let it fall to the ground and kicked it lightly with his toe as he glanced back and forth between the scroll and the boy. "It ain't gonna blow up in your face. That's the real thing. Those whores were too lazy to carry it or anything else. They've been treating me like a pack horse this whole time," the boy complained. "Seriously, red's so annoying. She thought just because she could track your chakra it meant she didn't have to any other work."

Naruto glanced at him one more time before cautiously leaning down and picking it up. "Hey Gamakichi? Is this guy pulling something on me?" Naruto asked.

"Don't think so. I don't sense any explosives," Gamakichi told him. "I think he's just lazier than that genius back in Konoha."

Naruto glanced up at the boy suspiciously again and the boy sighed. "Geez you're suspicious. Uchiha said you were the most trusting idiot he had ever met. It's seriously not gonna blow up. I ain't Orochimaru's dog and I don't want to be with those two screeching chicks. They'd be even more horrible if they actually managed to stop your team and then I'd have to watch them hang off Uchiha still trying to get in his pants and thinking taking you out is the way to do it. They're seriously demented though. Of course so is Orochimaru. That Uchiha's gonna kill him the first chance he gets. You can see it in those creepy eyes of his. How did you manage to put with him?"

Naruto took a deep breath and turned away from the boy and saw both Sakura and Shino staring at him in surprise. They had both finished with their opponents but were stock still as if waiting for him to make the next decision. "Let's just go," Naruto finally said tossing the scroll to Shino and moving away from the boy who had been talking to him.

Shino nodded and headed off into the forest. Sakura hesitated but soon followed, landing one last kick to her opponent that was surely in retaliation for trying to get into Sasuke's pants. Naruto took several steps to follow before he turned around and noticed the boy still lounging on the ground. "Hey, tell Sasuke he can run as far he wants, but we're still getting him back," Naruto stated confidently before taking off after his teammates.

"Geez, what losers," the boy muttered before moving to lounge against a tree as he waited for his teammates to wake up.

**X**

The rest of the day was spent skirting around other Genin teams as they caught up with the rest of the pack. They paused only twice when two of Naruto's clones returned to them and handed over scrolls they had managed to steal from unguarded opponents. There were signs of large scale fights that seemed to have been left as other teams met their ends against their Jounin opponents and the forest was eerily quiet by the time they reached the edge of tree line.

"We should stay in the cover of the forest and rest as much as possible before making a run for it at sunrise," Sakura suggested.

"You guys are really unadventurous," Moe muttered unhappily. "Why won't you fight?"

"Because we don't want to risk being eliminated," Shino countered.

"Besides, if we have to go up against an older jinchuriki we need to be in good shape. Gaara was really tough and this guy will probably be worse," Naruto added.

"Can't be that tough for you," Moe taunted. Naruto growled at her comment and moved to follow as Sakura led the way looking for another large tree that they could hide in safely for a few hours.

"Fan out and tell me the minute someone approaches," Naruto ordered the small frogs once the team had settled in. Once the frogs had left Naruto turned to his teammates nervously. "I don't like this. I haven't felt anyone even following us," he said.

"I haven't either. And my kikai have not sensed any abnormal chakra in the forest."

"Did you just hear wrong?" Sakura asked.

"No. And the fact that we've seen other signs of fights means that what he heard is the format. Our opponent is either choosing to not come after us, or he's waiting for us," Shino told her.

"Waiting where? We're at the end. There's six hours left," Sakura shot back.

"Maybe it's the final stretch. They hinted that the last kilometer out of the forest would be trapped," Naruto suggested.

"Then why have all the others been taken out inside the forest?" Sakura asked.

"Maybe they want to humiliate you. Take you out where you can be seen," Gamakichi suggested.

"Naruto, try sending out another group of clones. Maybe we can use them to find our opponent," Sakura sighed trying to ignore how nervous she was becoming as her teammates expressed their own concerns. She had been able to ignore them on her own but not after both Naruto and Shino had expressed them.

"I'll take first watch," Naruto said after he had sent out a team of three clones. "We need to get as much rest as possible so I'll wake Sakura in a few hours."

Less than an hour later a spark of chakra woke Shino and Sakura who found Naruto already creating several more teams of clones. "I didn't even get to see the opponent," he whispered in concern as he gave orders for the teams to attack several different locations over the next few hours.

"I'll take over watch now," Sakura decided. "These clones have to be taking a toll and you two will probably be doing more fighting."

Naruto nodded but didn't get a wink as he felt his clones being systematically taken out. By the time the sun rose five hours later and Shino moved to wake Sakura up both realized just how taxing the clones must have been for Naruto to keep up. He was beginning to get dark circles under his eyes and he was making no effort to hide it.

"Are you going to be alright?" Sakura asked.

"I have plenty of chakra left," Naruto assured her as he recalled the frogs to him and got most of them stored away in his travel bag. He kept three out and pointed to the wide expanse that they were going to have to cross shortly. "Start checking that out. See if you can find a good way across," he told them.

"Where was the jinchuriki finding your clones? We should avoid the area," Shino suggested as they approached the edge of the forest again.

"I sent them all over. He found them wherever they were," Naruto explained. "Our best bet is to try and delay him and then escape as fast as possible." He stilled suddenly when he heard voices on the ground below them.

"That Konoha team is still in here. We'd get promoted for sure if we took them out before Yugito," one of the girl's below them claimed.

Sakura glanced at her teammates in alarm but Shino hushed her and pointed to another tree about ten feet away. He made the jump first and Sakura quickly followed. Naruto followed last but in his weariness he almost missed the branch; if it hadn't been for Shino's quick reflexes the blond would have hit the ground and given away their position. They moved quickly in case Naruto's slip had given them away anyways but there was no sign of pursuit.

"Okay, how do we get across?" Sakura asked when they reached the tree line.

"You don't."

All three turned in alarm and were shocked to see a young woman balancing easily on the edge of the branch they were perched on. "Team Kakashi. My orders are to eliminate you."

"Shit," Naruto muttered when a powerful chakra began to seep into the air surrounding the woman.

"The jinchuriki is a she," Gamakichi muttered.

"Thanks for the obvious," Naruto muttered back as he and Shino dove to the forest floor to avoid the woman's chakra. Sakura was hit by one of the waves and sent spinning down as well. Two of Naruto's clones caught her and quickly pulled her towards her teammates but she was wincing and holding her arms where blisters were already beginning to appear from the chakra burns.

"Gaara…he couldn't do this," Naruto added, staring at the woman as she dropped down as well. When she turned her eyes on them again Naruto steeled his resolve and turned to his teammates. "Gamakichi stay with them, move back," Naruto ordered.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Gamakichi asked.

In response, Naruto tossed the toad and his bag to Sakura before taking a deep breath. He created fifteen clones and prayed Kyuubi would lend him chakra when his own reserves dried out. If he was lucky, Sakura would be accustomed enough to the red chakra to not question it and Shino wouldn't ask about it in front of her.

"I've dealt with the clones you've sent already. Do you really think a few more will give me challenge?"

Naruto frowned but didn't say anything as he let the clones surge forward towards the blond woman. He could feel how quickly they were being destroyed by her chakra alone. The few that managed to make it past her chakra were dealt with just as quickly and he was soon down to zero clones.

Taking another steadying breath Naruto stared at the smirking woman. "Like I said, a few clones won't give me trouble," she told him.

"What about a few hundred?" Naruto asked attempting to mirror her smirk. Her eyes widened as his hands flew through seals and suddenly the canopy was full of exact replicas of her target. Orochimaru had been right about the troublesome brat: he needed to be dealt with.

As most of the clones dove for the woman she let out another wave of chakra but Naruto was too busy trying to form the rasengan with the help of one of the clones who had remained behind. The others were forming a shield between the woman and Naruto and his teammates.

**X**

Shino tried to hide his surprise as the hundreds of clones began attacking the woman haphazardly. He had thought Sasuke had been exaggerating when the other boy finally explained how Naruto had beaten Gaara. Apparently, that hadn't even been a sample of what Naruto had been capable of.

"Oi!"

Shino and Sakura were drawn away when one of the small tree frogs appeared in front of them.

"You got a problem," the frog claimed.

"Aside from this?" Sakura screeched quietly.

"Yeah. The field is wired. Alarms'll go off as soon as you touch it. My guess is the rest of the Jounin will show up. Maybe others as well," the frog claimed.

"Then they go over it," Gamakichi stated.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"Tell Naruto to call off his attack. He needs to summon my dad," Gamakichi ordered.

Sakura stared at the toad before calling over to Naruto. "Drop the rasengan! Get over here."

Naruto stared at her but did as she asked when he noticed the odd look in Gamakichi's eyes. He hadn't thought the playful toad was capable of looking so angry. "What is it?" he asked, not releasing the rasengan but leaving behind his clones as moved towards Sakura and Shino.

"Summon pops. You gotta get out of here," Gamakichi told him.

"We have to take care of her first," Naruto argued.

"You don't have the time without risking too much. You can't attack her head on with that chakra. You'd have to find a way to cut it off from the distance. Maybe if you summoned your own you could withstand it but you shouldn't do that here," the toad claimed.

"Why your dad?"

"You need to go over the field. He can get you there fastest. Just do it now while she's still a bit distracted."

"She's not distracted!" Naruto argued.

"Do what he said," Shino spoke up concentrating as he called out a large swarm of kikai. The swarm continued to grow until there was a wall of black was buzzing in front of that. "Release that jutsu and your clones then summon," Shino ordered as the swarm surged forward.

"But I don't have…"

"Summon him!" Gamakichi croaked in alarm as Yugito's chakra pulsed again nearly driving off the swarm.

Naruto took a deep breath and focused on the woman's chakra as a threat as he bit his thumb and began to form the seals to summon Gamabunta. His palm hit the ground as he called out, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

There was a large poof of smoke and Naruto reached to grab both of his teammates as they were lifted off the ground. "Oh my god," Sakura squeaked when the smoke cleared as she realized what Naruto had just done. She stared at the blond and almost recoiled when she noticed that his eyes had gone red like the day at the river but turned her attention to their opponent below.

The woman was hidden in the swarm of black bugs that seemed to be closing in on her as they managed to restrain her chakra somewhat.

"Oi brat. You ready to drink with me?" a loud voice boomed out.

"I'm still too young," Naruto argued impatiently.

"Really? What are they thinking giving such young ones my contract? You all age so slowly," Gamabunta muttered gaining a snort from Naruto. "Oh well, suppose I should get you to safety before that woman hiding in the bugs decides to attack."

"She's not hiding. Those bugs are restraining her," Naruto shouted in explanation.

"Oh, can I eat them? They look tasty."

"No!" Shino shouted. "They're my kikai," he added.

"Oh, Aburame," Gamabunta muttered. "Very well then, they wouldn't taste good anyways. Let's get going."

Sakura felt like she was going to throw up when the boss toad took a giant leap forward. He landed only once before jumping again surging towards the crowds that they could see waiting for them at the end of the open field. The toad landed and shook the three Genin off his back and into a freefall towards the ground across the finish line. They never hit and instead found themselves in the arms of fairly friendly faces.

**XXXXXXXX**

**XXXXXXXX**

"That was a fast response," Kakashi stated when Jiriaya appeared in front of him just three days after his students had entered the exam. He had been in the middle of counting down the final twelve hours of the exam.

"Tsunade had already told me to head out. She was starting to have second thoughts. When your dog showed up she told me beat it," Jiraiya informed him. "When they come out of the exam, we're going back to Konoha. She said to forget the second part."

"That's good. Naruto sent word," Kakashi said pointing to the small frog that was nestled in his hair.

"Which one are you?" Jiraiya asked.

"Moe sent me. I'm Ren," the frog informed him. "Your brat said a jinchuriki was supposedly after them. They hadn't run into the guy yet but they were dealing with a genjutsu trap. I don't see why it was a problem, the summoner is a jinchuriki too."

"What about Otogakure?" Jiraiya asked.

"They didn't mention them," Ren said.

"Well, I doubt we'd get any cooperation if we told them we wanted to pull the team out," Jiraiya muttered. He was interrupted from continuing when there was a knock on the door.

"What?" Jiraiya asked when he yanked the door open.

The young man at the door actually took a step back and stuttered as he introduced himself. "I'm Io Hiroto. The liason for Konoha right now. The Raikage just learned about your arrival and requested that I pass along an invitation to meet with him."

"I'm not interested," Jiraiya stated before shutting the door in the young man's face.

"That was rude," Ren chastised.

"It was honest. I'm not here to play nice and I'm not meeting with the Raikage until those three are out of the exam and safe," Jiraiya stated.

"What are you going to do about Orochimaru's presence?" Kakashi asked.

"Ignore it. I'm sure he had a heavy hand in this but I'm not risking provoking anything. I want to get those three out of here before someone says something they aren't supposed to," Jiraiya answered. "Which I'm hoping none of you annoying things did in the forest," Jiraiya added turning to look at Ren.

"Neh, Kichi-kun stopped us," Ren told him.

**X**

Neither Jiraiya nor Kakashi had managed much sleep as they waited for the sun to rise the next morning. The minute it did, they left the room – locked and sealed enough that it would take hours for a skilled shinobi to get into it – before heading down to the finish line. Jiraiya's plan was to grab the Genin and spirit them back to their dorm to let them catch their breath before taking off again. He'd mentioned something about possibly using that time to terrify that Raikage if the opportunity arose but Kakashi – and Ren – was hoping that the white haired man had been joking.

"Ah, Jiraiya-sama, I am sorry you were unable to meet with us last night. I had hoped we'd be hearing from the Hokage soon."

Jiraiya turned and recognized the man who had spoken as the Daimyo of Lightning country. "She's busy," Jiraiya replied tritely making sure to let the seemingly mild mannered man know that he was not happy.

"I see," the Daimyo said in poorly hidden surprise.

Jiraiya wasn't sure if the man was good actor or if he honestly had no idea what the Raikage was up to. A spark of very powerful chakra caught his attention and he turned away from the Daimyo to look at the forest. He had almost cursed Naruto aloud before he realized that the demonic chakra hadn't been the Kyuubi's.

"Think it's another false alarm?" a ninja from Otogakure asked turning to the small woman who was standing next to him.

"We'll know shortly. If it lasts much longer then she must have actually found the team this time," the woman answered, not trying to hide her voice. Kakashi noticed his guide standing uncomfortably behind the two. The younger man turned away nervously when he noticed Kakashi's gaze on him.

"A jinchuriki, impressive," Jiraiya muttered.

"A necessary evil I suppose," the Daimyo replied.

"Pity those don't seem to work on us," Jiraiya added glancing towards the Raikage's seat. "Orochimaru should have known that of course."

Kakashi sighed and moved to push his forehead protector out of the way. The chakra had only increased which meant his students were fighting. And with Jiraiya's behavior he wanted to be ready for whatever was to come next. "Something's wrong," Ren whispered from his hair.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked.

"I sense alarm. My siblings are restless. They've been fine up until now. But because we're so close, I can tell. Something's wrong," Ren informed him.

Kakashi turned back and his eyes narrowed as the sharingan picked up on the massive chakra that was spilling from the jinchuriki. From a kilometer away he couldn't spot his students and while that normally wouldn't have bothered him he had hoped that Naruto would have shown himself. A moment later his sharingan caught signs of a large amount of chakra being dumped into a jutsu and Jiraiya actually snorted when a huge orange body appeared in the trees.

"Is that…a boss?" the small woman asked.

"It would appear so Seki-san," Orochimaru replied smoothly. "I'm surprised your student managed it this time. His attempt during our last meeting was rather poorly executed."

A moment later Gamabunta took to the air, landing only once on the large field before taking off again before landing in front of the stand Kakashi and Jiraiya were on. Kakashi cursed and took off when he noticed Gamabunta shake a bit violently, up heaving the three bodies on his back.

Jiraiya took off after him and made a grab for Shino and Sakura while Kakashi grabbed Naruto. "Was that really necessary?" Jiraiya shouted up to Gamabunta.

"Oh, Jiraiya. I just felt they'd be more comfortable with their feet on the ground," Gamabunta explained before going quiet. His face lost the usual jovial look that Jiraiya was used to and bypassed the annoyed phase and straight into the angry one Jiraiya hated seeing. A moment later a small toad was flying towards Jiraiya and Gamabunta and disappeared leaving many of the spectators tittering excitedly.

"That was quite a show," the Raikage stated, leaving the platform to arrive in front of Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the Genin. "May ask who the young summoner was? It's so rare for a Genin to have the power to command a boss."

"Kakashi, take Sakura and Shino back and tell them to get ready to leave," Jiraiya ordered, setting the two back on his feet.

Kakashi nodded and set Naruto on his feet as well. He leaned down to get a closer look when he realized how close to the surface the Kyuubi's chakra was. He caught sight of Naruto's eyes and frowned as he led him over to Jiraiya. "We'll be waiting," Kakashi said, pulling Sakura and Shino away.

"If you don't mind. I believe they have something that they need to deliver in order to pass," the Raikage sneered. He was surprised when Sakura reached into her bag and grabbed the scroll with a leaf symbol on it that she had been holding since the beginning of the exam. She glared at the man and threw it down to land in front of his feet. Jiraiya lips lilted up into a smirk when he noticed the sneer growing ugly. It got better when Shino reached into his own bag and pulled out four more scrolls and followed suit before turning and allowing Kakashi to lead him away.

"That all you need?" Jiraiya asked looking closer and noticing the marks on the scroll. His grin widened when saw the musical note on one of them.

"Raikage-dono, I believe you wanted to meet the summoner," Orochimaru interrupted, sneering when he caught sight of the scroll as well. "That would be him," he added, pointing at Naruto who was busy staring at Gamakichi and making sure not to look at any of the other shinobi.

The Raikage peered at Naruto curiously before his eyes widened suddenly. He was about to speak when he noticed two Jounin appear at the finish line as well. "Ah, thank you Seki," the Raikage said to the smaller of the two before looking at the taller blond woman. "That must have been interesting for them to escape from you Yugito."

"He said the kid used clones; he never said the kid could call hundreds of them," Yugito bit out.

"Indeed. Quite a remarkable…and impossible feat," Orochimaru commented, smirking at Naruto.

"You've been having quite a bit of fun selling out my student, haven't you?" Jiraiya asked turning to glare at Orochimaru.

"Oi Jiraiya, stop it. Pops wanted me to order to you to take Naruto back to Konoha now. He's pissed off about this. Threatened to break the contract," Gamakichi spoke up quietly.

"We're heading out now," Jiraiya assured him.

"No normal Genin has the chakra to use a jutsu of that rank. And I heard his teammate. Rasengan, even we know about that jutsu," Yugito growled as chakra began to dance just above the surface of the skin.

"He's managed to finish that as well?" Orochimaru asked.

Jiraiya ignored him and turned to the Daimyo who looked fairly concerned at the conversation he was hearing. "I apologize. But the Hokage has ordered me to bring our Genin team back to Konoha. There is a heavy suspicion that this exam was fixed. And while we are pleased that Team Hatake was able to finish it, we will not waste their time by having them continue on in this exam," Jiraiya stated. The Daimyo's face hardened and he turned to glare at the Raikage. "Good day gentlemen and ladies."

"Wait," Yugito growled.

"Is there a problem Yugito-san?" the Daimyo asked.

"Yeah, there is," she answered. "He's a jinchuriki too. He's pulling out more and more it's chakra now," she claimed pointing to Naruto.

"That isn't your concern. And I'd recommend you keep your own chakra in check as he is," Jiraiya countered. "You'd think with Orochimaru here you'd at least have heard about the threats facing someone like you. You'd do well to learn not to rely on that beast for much longer." Without allowing the woman to reply Jiraiya turned and pulled Naruto along away from the seething woman.

"We're leaving?" Naruto asked once they had moved away from the crowd.

"As soon as possible. Is there a reason you're still channeling the Kyuubi's chakra?"

"I think I'll pass out if I stop," Naruto replied in embarrassment.

"Then keep it up until we're out of the village and then drop it. What drained your chakra that far?"

"Clones, not much sleep, and the summons," Naruto answered.

"Have you had them out the whole time?"

"Since second night I guess."

"Release Gamakichi," Jiraiya ordered.

"Oi pervert. I'm supposed to make sure you take him back to the village," Gamakichi croaked.

"I'll summon you when we get there to let you know, but I want to get rid of everything draining him. He's going to release the tree frogs next," Jiraiya stated.

"Fine, but pops expects to hear from you," Gamakichi huffed as Naruto released him.

"The frogs are with Sakura. She has my bag," Naruto explained.

"As soon as we reach the room, release them as well. Why did you keep them out for so long?"

"We needed the extra eyes. Besides, they helped us out a lot," Naruto told him.

Kakashi, Shino, and Sakura – whose arms were bandaged - were waiting outside the room by the time they reached it. "Ready to go?" Kakashi asked.

"Shouldn't we rest first? Naruto's-"

"You can rest once we're out of Lightning Country," Jiraiya interrupted. "Moe, he's releasing your squad."

The small frog nodded and the rest of the squad appeared for just a moment before Naruto released them. "Hold onto his bag for a bit longer Haruno," Jiraiya added as he led the three Genin and Kakashi back out through the village.

The Jounin at the gate looked surprised to see them and one of the men tried to distract them from leaving while another disappeared but Jiraiya brushed past him and pushed the gate open himself, holding it long enough for the others to exit, before slamming it back shut. He continued moving for just five minutes, until they were completely out of sight, before turning back to Naruto. "Stop it now," Jiraiya told him.

Naruto frowned and glanced up at him, allowing both Sakura and Shino to see his red eyes, and looked prepared to argue but Jiraiya and Kakashi both shook their heads. Naruto sighed and slowly cut off the chakra he was channeling. After a moment, he swayed unsteadily and pitched forward into Jiraiya's arms. "You got him?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, we need to keep moving until we're in Fire Country. There should be an ANBU patrol waiting for us so we'll stop and let the Genin rest once we find them," Jiraiya told him. The Senin kept the group moving on the ground, not wanting to risk the Genin misstepping, but moving constantly for the rest of the day. By nightfall, they had left Lightning country and were almost through the bordering nation.

"Jiraiya-sama! Hatake-san!" a voice called out.

"Tsunade-sama sent us to meet you," another one greeted. Shino immediately looked up when he recognized the second voice and he nodded in greeting to his father.

"We're gonna need to stop and let them rest once we cross the border," Jiraiya told them, nodding to the ANBU team who appeared behind their captain and Shibi.

"No time. The Hokage wants them back in the village," the captain spoke up.

"They can't take that," Kakashi interrupted. "They've been moving constantly for four days now, Yuugao."

"Is that what happened to Uzumaki?" she asked in concern.

"Yeah, and if you want to keep going you're gonna have to carry the other two. They'd never be able to keep up more than a snail's pace," Jiraiya told the woman.

"We can do that," one of the other ANBU commented. "Do you need a break? We can take Uzumaki as well."

"No I've got him. Get the brats off their feet and let's go," Jiraiya countered. Kakashi waved Yuugao off as she moved towards Sakura and instead shifted his own bag before lifting her onto his back. Shibi did the same with his son and they were once again moving swiftly, this time through the tree tops to maximize speed.

"Why did she send them to meet us?" Kakashi asked.

"In case of pursuit. She's ticked off, probably at herself most of all," Yuugao admitted.

"There was no way of knowing Otogakure would have been involved. I'd say I'm surprised another nation trusted them…but with Kumogakure that wouldn't really be true," Kakashi commented.

"Did they run into any Oto Genin?" Shibi asked once he realized that Shino was asleep.

"Must have. But we didn't ask them for a full report. They ran into the jinchuriki in the forest and Naruto used Gamabunta to get them out. 'Bunta was pissed off and told me to get them the hell out of there," Jiraiya told him.

"The boy…can summon Gamabunta?" Shibi asked.

Jiraiya released a small snort. "I don't know why people are so surprised about that. How do you think he beat Gaara?"

"I didn't know he had," Shibi replied.

"Who else do ya think did? Uchiha?" Jiraiya snorted.

"Yes," Yuugao spoke up.

"Who told you that?" Kakashi asked.

"You mean you knew?" Yuugao asked.

"I did bother to ask them," Kakashi told her.

"You…you probably shouldn't let that get back to the council. They think it was Uchiha as well," Yuugao claimed.

"How 'bout we not encourage Kakashi to hide more than he already is," Jiraiya growled cutting off the conversation. Yuugao winced when she noticed that Kakashi seemed to be smirking underneath his mask.

"How truthful he is with the council was never the Hokage's problem; he should probably be congratulated on that," Shibi spoke up. Jiraiya paused in his run to stare at the man before his eyes narrowed and he took off again.

By the next evening, even the ANBU were starting to peer at Naruto's still form in concern. Sakura and Shino had awoke and even been allowed to run for a bit as long as they didn't slow the group down but Naruto had yet to even stir. Kakashi had brushed off their concern as he took the blond from Jiraiya after their only break. The ANBU team's medic had healed the burns on Sakura's arms while they ate. "I want to reach the village by tomorrow morning," he spoke up right before they took off.

"Are you sure we shouldn't at least try to stuff a soldier pill down his throat?" one of the ANBU asked pointing to Naruto.

"He'll probably wake up once we're at the village. Between the clones and the summons he drained his own reserves _before_ he went and pulled out Bunta. Rest is all he needs to get them back and the better form he's in when we return the better off we'll be," Jiraiya answered.

**X**

The group arrived at Konoha's gate about an hour before dawn the next day just as Naruto was beginning to stir. They were immediately brought to see the Hokage who looked like she had had as little sleep as they had over the past several days, unlike them she had obviously succumbed to it and Shizune was in the middle of shaking her awake when they entered her side office.

"Oh, good," Tsunade greeted when she realized who was in front of her. "I take it there were no problems during the return?"

"It was a quiet run," Yuugao informed her.

"Good, your team is dismissed then. I'll speak with you later this afternoon," Tsunade said in dismissal. "What can the three of you tell me about the exam?" she asked as the ANBU left the office.

"It was poorly organized," Sakura griped, repeating her team's earliest concern.

"Oh?"

"It was like our second exam, but there was no precursor. Three days in the forest, guard one scroll. We could collect others, but it wasn't even a requirement. Near the end of the first day we learned through Shino's kikai that Jounin would be sent after us. That wouldn't be a problem for us considering our team configurations, but the kikai relayed that our Jounin was also a jinchuriki," Sakura explained.

"Did you run into this jinchuriki?"

"Yeah, but not until the very end. She was waiting for us at the end of the forest," Naruto spoke up.

"What about other teams? Oto especially," Tsunade asked.

"We had agreed to try and avoid other teams early on but it became more imperative once we learned about the jinchuriki. We used my kikai and Naruto's clones to scout the area and avoid opponents until the second day. We grew suspicious of our slow movement and they mentioned running into a genjutsu trap during our exam that seemed similar," Shino said. "If it weren't for that, we would have struggled with it more."

"How similar was it?" Tsunade asked.

"It ended up being the same team. Shino left a kikai marker and we realized within an hour that we were going in circles. We stopped to rest and plan out how to proceed. We decided to use the clones and kikai to try and find our opponents and to rest while waiting for news. Before setting up guard, we agreed that Naruto should use his summons to send word to Kakashi about the jinchuriki.

"By morning the team had discovered that they were fighting clones and we decided to take them out. It wasn't a problem, but once they were dispatched we had caught the attention of a team from Otogakure," Sakura finished.

"Did you engage them?"

"They engaged us. The team leader mentioned that they had been ordered to take us out so that Naruto and Sakura would be unable to pursue Uchiha. After taking out two of them, the last team member turned over their scroll without a fight," Shino answered.

"What about the last two scrolls you had? Did you run into them during the last day and night?" Jiraiya asked.

"No, Naruto's clones collected them from lazy teams. We avoided all other opponents during the last day and night as we rested to prepare for the final run and a possible fight," Sakura answered.

"That night Naruto sent out a number of waves of clones, disguised as our team, in hopes of locating our opponent. Each wave was destroyed without even getting a good look at the jinchuriki," Shino added.

"When did you run into her?"

"That morning just as we set off. I've never felt anything like that," Sakura claimed.

"Meaning?"

"Her chakra was completely visible. I mean I've seen stuff like that but…I don't know how to describe it. It completely surrounded her…it was terrifying," Sakura admitted.

"More so than Gaara?"

"Yeah. With him it was his general presence. Her presence was completely hidden before she started releasing her chakra. It was huge. Took out a lot of Naruto's clones that were trying to distract her."

"How many?" Tsunade asked turning to Naruto.

"The night before we ran into her she took out close to eighty. That morning…almost six hundred," he admitted.

"Six hundred? How many had you brought out at once?" Shibi asked.

"The first time just fifteen. But she got rid of them without a problem. They couldn't even get near her. After that…about eight hundred I guess."

Even Tsunade looked appalled by the sheer numbers that Naruto had commanded and she took a moment to collect herself before deciding to dismiss them. "Why don't the three of you go rest. I have to call the rest of the Council together to discuss your promotions…not that any of them will be a problem. Why don't you come back around-"

"We can continue now," one of the elders spoke up from the doorway, cutting Tsunade off.

"I don't recall sending for you."

"We were alerted to their arrival. We were able to hear much of the discussion. Aburame, Haruno both you are dismissed. Report to administration and they will give you your flack vests," Koharu stated.

"Excuse me?" Tsunade spoke up.

"You two are dismissed. Shibi as well," Homura ordered.

Shibi glanced at Tsunade gaining a minute nod before he led the two Genin out with narrowed eyes. "What's going on?" Sakura asked when he shut the door behind them.

"Go speak with administration and then go home and rest. I have work to do," Shibi answered before walking away.

**X**

"What do you want?" Tsunade asked angrily.

"To hear from him," Homura commented.

"About what?" Naruto asked in confusion, not entirely certain why Tsunade seemed so upset.

"How frequently were you using clones in the forest?" Koharu asked.

"I didn't really keep track. Maybe a hundred on the first day and night for scouting. More once we started to suspect genjutsu," Naruto answered.

"And how long did you keep them out?"

"A few hours for most. Less if they were destroyed."

"And the longest of them?"

"I think I had three that survived until the last day so over forty eight hours."

"What about your summons? What toads did you summon?"

"Gamakichi. And then the Amagaeru Sentai, both during the second night. Gamabunta on the last day."

"How long were they out?"

"Gamakichi and the frogs were with us until after the exam so maybe thirty something hours? And Gamabunta wasn't there for long. Maybe ten minutes at most," Naruto answered.

"Did you draw out Kyuubi's chakra during the exam?"

"Well, not like that chick was. I only used it for the last wave of clones and Gamabunta."

"But you did use it in front of her," Koharu clarified.

"I didn't have a choice. We couldn't fight her," Naruto answered.

"Yes you did. You could have chosen to fail the exam," Koharu told him.

"She was going to kill us," Naruto shot back.

"And instead you passed the exam and we got this," Homura spoke up holding up a scroll. "The Raikage was not pleased with your performance, especially in front of the Daimyo. Their jinchuriki identified you."

"I didn't say anything to their Daimyo," Naruto said in confusion. "And I don't know how she realized about Kyuubi. I didn't fight her with its chakra and it wasn't that obvious. Gaara never figured it out and I used more chakra against him."

Jiraiya winced and glanced between Tsunade and Kakashi in concern. "That's enough," Tsunade spoke up. "When were you planning on telling me you heard from the Raikage?" she asked turning to the Elders.

"This arrived last night for us. It was not meant for you," Koharu replied.

"When you hear from other villages, it is never just meant for you, is that understood?" Tsunade stated angrily.

"None-the-less, I oppose his promotion. His behavior was irresponsible. He exhausted himself early and for no reason," Homura replied returning Tsunade's stare.

"Excuse me?" Tsunade bit out.

"We, the Council, oppose the promotion of Uzumaki Naruto to Chuunin. You are out numbered," Koharu said. "I also want to hear from him exactly what happened against Otogakure."

"We just fought one team," Naruto spoke up looking between his teachers and Tsunade for some guidance. Jiraiya was busy glaring at the Elders and Kakashi seemed to have decided the wall was an equally good target.

"And who did you fight?"

"One of the Genin. A boy. He didn't really fight though. After I hit him, he stayed down," Naruto answered looking at Tsunade instead of the Elders.

"Stayed down?"

"Yeah, he said he didn't have a reason to fight. He didn't seem very loyal to Orochimaru. He just said he doubted…he doubted I would ever get as strong as Sasuke. He didn't want to work with his teammates so he gave us their scroll," Naruto answered frowning.

"You're dismissed Uzumaki," Koharu told him.

"But-"

"Dismissed Uzumaki," Homura repeated harshly.

Naruto stared at them for a moment longer before glancing at Tsunade but the Hokage wasn't meeting his eyes. "Go," Homura ordered.

When Kakashi moved to leave with Naruto, Koharu reached over and grabbed the man's arm. "We haven't finished speaking with you yet," she said.

"Naruto wait outside," Tsunade called. "Naruto!" she called again when the blond shut the door without agreeing. Ignoring the elders Tsunade stood up and walked to the door to yell at Naruto. "Brat," she muttered gazing at the empty hallway. "Damn you," she cursed turning back around and glaring at the elders.

**X**

"Yo! Shino, Sakura!"

Both teens turned around at Kiba's shout and waved before Sakura excitedly pointed to the flak vest she was holding. "What are you doing here?" Shino asked.

"Your dad stopped by to talk to my mom and I heard him mention you guys got promoted. Where's Naruto?"

"He was still talking to the Hokage when we got ordered out," Sakura frowned.

"By who?"

"The Elders," Shino answered.

"Well how did the exam go then?" Kiba asked.

"It wasn't fun. They rigged it against us," Sakura muttered.

"But you guys passed?"

"Yes. We relied too heavily on Naruto though. He passed out shortly after we left Kumogakure," Shino told him.

"He passed out? Seriously? I didn't think Naruto could run out of energy. Soldier pills never seemed to even be necessary for him," Kiba whistled.

"He barely got any sleep because watches were interrupted and he was using a lot of clones and summons. You will not believe this, he can summon a boss," Sakura told him.

Kiba's eyes widened at Sakura's statement and he was about to ask another question when someone coughed behind them. "Hi Iruka-sensei!" Sakura greeted.

"Hello Sakura. Is there any way I could get the three of you to run off? We need to open up," he told them.

"Okay! But if you see Naruto will you tell him to find us after he gets his vest?" Sakura asked.

"I'll make sure to send him your way after I get the chance to congratulate him. I hope you didn't have trouble in the exam? Although, I thought you were going to be gone a bit longer."

"Tsunade-shishou pulled us out before the finals but we passed the first part," Sakura explained.

"Bye Iruka-sensei," Kiba waved as he pulled the two off. "Should we try waiting at Ichiraku?"

"Maybe we should try meeting up later this afternoon. I'd like sleep," Shino suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Sakura agreed.

"Alright. I'll try and find the others and tell them you're back. We'll see you this afternoon," Kiba said waving as the two walked to their respective homes.

**X**

That afternoon Shino and Sakura found Kiba and Hinata at Team 8's normal training grounds working with Kurenai. "Any sign of Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"N-n-not yet," Hinata replied.

"Why are you looking for Naruto?" Kurenai asked.

"We wanted to go out and celebrate our promotions," Sakura told her.

Kurenai stared at Shino and Sakura for a moment before sighing. "You probably shouldn't do that to him," she finally said.

"Do what to him?" Shino asked.

"Naruto wasn't promoted. Shinobi in the administration building let almost everyone know this morning after they heard the Hokage arguing loudly with the rest of the Council. The Clan heads tried to help out but the Elders are refusing to renege."

"Why wasn't he promoted?" Sakura asked angrily.

"They claim he over did it early on in the exam and put his team at risk because he wasn't able to fight your last opponent well," Inuzuka Tsume spoke up from the sidelines where she had been watching her son's training session.

"But…that wasn't his fault. And it shouldn't have been up to him to fight our final opponent. He and Shino managed to get us away from her," Sakura argued.

"Don't bother arguing with me. Shibi came and got me and the others so that we could argue _for_ Naruto not against him. The council had decided that Naruto wouldn't be promoted even before he left for the exam. Even if they hadn't used that excuse they just would have used another one," Tsume explained.

"Why had they already decided it?" Shino asked wondering why his father hadn't mentioned the issue to him.

"The Elders are put out. They're used to more influence in power. They weren't expecting the Hokage they got," Kurenai told them.

"But they sent Jiraiya and Naruto to retrieve her after Jiraiya-sama turned her down," Sakura said.

"They sent Jiraiya to go look for her to get him out of their hair so they could look for other candidates. They didn't expect him to actually find Tsunade. Even if he had…they probably would have been okay with it. She's a powerful figure…but the Tsunade they got back wasn't the Tsunade who left. They were expecting a different woman," Tsume explained.

"What does that have to do with Naruto?" Kiba asked.

"He convinced her to return. The Elders accepted her as Hokage before they had the time to speak with her. But within an hour of her return they already knew they were going to have trouble exerting the same power they had under the Third Hokage."

"What do you mean?"

"She ended a meeting with them specifically for Naruto. All she did was accept the position before walking out the door to find him and let him drag her to the hospital to treat Kakashi and Sasuke. She made it more than well known that that brat had her eyes and ears when he wanted them. That takes a hell of a lot to get from a woman like Tsunade."

"They're refusing his promotion…to put her down?" Shino winced.

"Yeah. It's not an odd practice. They tried the same thing with the Fourth but they weren't successful since he was working with the Daimyo. But Tsunade gave them that open door on the first day of her return and it was one that they found far too easy to exploit. She can do all she wants but it's days like today that she's going to be reminded the cost for ignoring them."

"But that isn't right. He deserved to be promoted. He did more than either of us during that exam," Sakura argued.

"He deserved it after the first exam too," Kurenai pointed out. "He made it the farthest out of the participants. Followed orders perfectly during the invasion. And managed to be taken under the wing of a Sannin. That wouldn't have been ignored if it was anyone else. Technically they had already promoted him by letting Jiraiya train him. That training trip was a recognition of that. They took it back by not officially promoting him when he returned."

"Are you saying he won't ever get promoted?" Sakura asked.

"That won't happen. It can't with the kind of outrage this decision has already brought out. The Elders are going to have to contend with increased resistance from a lot of their active shinobi. Uzumaki is only going to get better. The active shinobi are going to want him to work with them. And if Tsunade plays her cards right she can gain the same ally the Fourth had. When that happens…the Elders will get more than they're bargaining for. Just stick with him for now and don't rub it in his face," Tsume assured her. "The Elders will be out of the way in a few years. Who knows maybe Tsunade will really get her way and you'll see him as her successor?"

* * *

**Agent's Spiel:** I didn't name the two spoiler characters just for the hell of it. Karin and Suigetsu (the boy) were obviously the spoiler I was talking about above. I just wanted more people I could give a name and personality to at the moment without having to make up more jutsu (I'm not very good at that). Karin probably won't appear more than once or twice in the rest of the story. I'm still deciding on whether or not I should include Juugo or Suigetsu (again). There are places that they'd definitely fit and add to the plot of this story but I'm open to your opinions about this. Also, if anyone has seen a good colored picture of Suigetsu (or if you've seen the anime and he's appeared there) can you tell me what color his hair is supposed to be? I've seen him drawn with white hair as well as with light tealish hair and I don't know which is right (which is why I didn't mention hair color here and he was just referred to as 'boy'). Image searches didn't really help and the one site I tend to use for bio's just showed a black and white image from the manga. Of course the same goes for Karin. I've seen her with black and red hair, but I'm fairly certain that she's a red head. I'll fix it if this is wrong.

If you read _After the Dream_ you may remember Yukira. I just felt like introducing her a bit earlier to throw off Naruto and Sakura.

Yugito was barely in the manga at all and it didn't really give me anything to go by except that she seemed to use the Nibi's chakra with even less hesitation than Naruto shows with Kyuubi's. Also I've seen her shown as blond in a lot of pictures, but I can't remember if any of them were official. Sorry if they've shown her differently in the anime if it's up to the point of her appearance.

Sorry for the repetitive briefing at the end. And the end in general. I'm not really happy with how it came out. I wanted to show the Elders a bit more clearly for what they are (in this story not in the manga), but I'm not sure I should have included the bit with Tsume at the end.

Jutsu (if the name wasn't written in the story I pointed out where it was used; **bold** means the jutsu is not canon – meaning I made it up, expect bad names):

**Tou Tsurukusa no Jutsu:** Vine Sickle jutsu (a crappy jutsu that showed up a few times in _After the Dream_)

Thanks to all the reviewers:

_Hebi R, Jerrac, Lord-Scruffy, Ero-kun, Kage Husha, peppymint, Dark Ravie, Khellan Rafe, xTxNxLx, GreyGryph, WalkingDisasters, Azamiko, show.me.the.stars, someone179, KunochiDreamer, MelissaKS, sith2886, Marz1_


	7. 2000 Years Pt 1

**Agent's Spiel:** Where have I been you ask? I have no freaking clue. I can't even say for sure that I'll update any faster this time but I haven't forgotten about any of these fan fics.

I wasn't originally planning on splitting this chapter, but I'm a bit stuck. I figured I would go ahead and post this much so that you don't have to wait a few more months.

There is a bit of a time jump after the first scene here. I had meant to mention Sasuke's approaching birthday at some point last chapter to give you an idea of when it was taking place so the Chuunin exam took place in early July. After the first scene, the rest of the chapter takes place in October; about five months after this story started and nine and a half months after Sasuke originally left (note that the timeline is purely fictional since I can't find a good one for the series anyways).

If you ever want to pester me about updating and don't to leave a review or pm me I started blog to try and keep me in check. There's a link in my profile so feel free to come by and yell at me or ask questions.

**I have another question for you guys and it once again includes possible spoilers. **

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

**2000 Years**

"Hey brat, wait up!"

Naruto paused and turned in confusion, only to become more confused when he saw Anko running towards him with a maniacal grin on her face – that alone made him want to sprint off in the opposite direction.

"I have awesome news!" Anko told him with a grin.

"Awesome for you or me?" he asked nervously, wishing Jiraiya had stuck around after training. He had a feeling the old man was going easy on him to make up for still being stuck as a Genin and not being able to go on any missions.

"Both of us!"

"Is that possible?"

"When did you get snarky?" Anko asked leaning in to inspect him closer. "You've been around Jiraiya too long. Anyways, we're supposed to go meet up with Kakashi. He has to leave tomorrow but he wants me to train with you for a bit so he wants to go over a few things."

"He wants _you_ to train with me?" Naruto repeated in confusion.

"Okay you have either been spending far too much time with Jiraiya or on your own so you obviously need my influence. And I only get to train with you if you pass this test," Anko countered pulling Naruto along towards a more secluded training ground.

"What could you teach me that Jiraiya can't?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Anko deadpanned. "I trained with a Sannin too you know."

"Not Tsunade," Naruto muttered before his eyes widened. "Orochimaru trained you?"

"Uh yeah, that's pretty common knowledge. Then again you never struck me as being all that quick," Anko grinned back.

"But that's who's training Sasuke now…so you could show me what Orochimaru is teaching Sasuke, right?"

"Are you serious? The freaks been gone for years; I'm sure he's learned something new in that time to warp your friend with."

"Then what's the point?" Naruto asked.

"Just wait and see if you pass the test. Then you'll see the point," Anko grinned maliciously.

**XXXXXXXX**

**XXXXXXXX**

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi grimaced as he heard Sakura's loud greeting and turned as politely as possible to greet her. "Can I help you Sakura?" he asked trying not to sound annoyed since his student hadn't done anything.

"Is Naruto still down at the training field with Jiraiya?" Sakura asked skidding to a halt with Ino and Kiba right behind her; Kiba's arms were loaded with four bags. The three were brimming with excitement and it scared the crap out of Kakashi that they were thinking of Naruto at that moment.

"Not sure. I don't have him working with Anko right now so he might be. Why do you care? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for the festival and checking in with Tsunade?" Kakashi asked trying to encourage them to shift gears.

"That's why we're looking for him. I'm supposed to bring him with me. Tsunade's kind of nervous because the Daimyo actually agreed to come, I think this is the first time he stepped foot here since the Fourth Hokage died; did you know that? Anyways, Jiraiya's going to be with her and Naruto and I are supposed to as well. We need to find him and get him dressed," Sakura explained eagerly.

"I'm sorry, did you just say that Tsunade actually expects Naruto to be there today? Was she drunk when she told you this?" Kakashi asked too tired to feign belief.

"Umm…possibly?" Sakura apologized. "She's been kind of busy getting everything set up but why would that matter? Why wouldn't Naruto come to a festival?"

Kakashi sighed and stared balefully at his student and her friends as he tried to come up with a good lie. Unable to at least come up with one that Naruto would be able to play along with, he decided to just brush them off. "Nevermind, check the training ground first. If he's not with Jiraiya then he's probably at his apartment," he finished turning to leave and hoping that Sakura didn't actually know where Naruto lived.

"Alright thanks! I'll see you in a few hours, and don't forget to tell Naruto 'Happy Birthday' when we see him," Sakura exclaimed waving as she darted off with her friends in tow.

Kakashi snorted and continued his trek to his house. He knew he wasn't likely to get much sleep with all the festivities going on but it was worth shot. "Like I could forget the brat's birthday," he muttered as his home came into sight. Unfortunately, waiting at his home was a rather nervous Anko. "Did you know Sakura actually thinks Naruto will come to the festival today? And are you actually wearing a yukata?" he asked curiously.

"I heard Tsunade mention it. He won't really have a choice. Tsunade apparently decided that she wants a bit of an honor guard when she meets the Daimyo and the Mizukage and she won't allow it to be the Elders so apparently she decided that Jiraiya, their students, and for some reason us, would be the best replacements," Anko muttered.

"I am not dressing up for this stupid festival," Kakashi growled.

"Fine with me. Just clean up and put on a clean uniform if you have one. I don't think she actually expected you to be back in time but the guard sent word to her when you got in an hour ago. And before you ask I did mention this morning that bringing Naruto wasn't a good idea but she muttered something about not being able to see him on his birthday otherwise. That seemed kind of important to her; maybe this year will go okay?" Anko shrugged.

"Give me five minutes," Kakashi sighed, entering his house.

"Umm Kakashi, you smell like shit. Please take longer than five minutes and make sure that you no longer smell."

"What's wrong with you? That's the most insulting thing you've managed to say all morning."

"I hate the Mizukage," Anko muttered as Kakashi shrugged off her demeanor and went in his apartment to get ready.

**XXXXXXXX**

**XXXXXXXX**

"I don't ever go to festivals," Naruto insisted, surprisingly firmly even though he had been repeating some form of the same line for the past ten minutes while Sakura, Kiba, and Ino pleaded with him and Jiraiya watched in amusement.

"It's the Memorial festival," Kiba snorted. "All shinobi go."

"Well I don't. I wanna work on a new jutsu so I'm staying here to train," Naruto retorted fervently.

"You can't train all night. Jiraiya has to come too. And Kakashi-sensei got back this morning so he'll be there too. We haven't seen him in months," Sakura replied just as fervently.

"I don't like festivals; they're too crowded," Naruto claimed ignoring the fact that he had seen Kakashi less than a month ago when he had checked in on Naruto and Anko's progress. Sakura gaped at him before Kiba and Ino snorted. "I mean it! I don't like being around all those people during the festival. It's too depressing."

"I'm not buying it Naruto. We're all going to be there with our families," Ino spoke up. "The Hokage said you had to be there too."

"No I'm not."

"Seriously man. This is a huge deal even if you don't like festivals. The Daimyo is here. He hasn't been in Konoha in like…a decade. He wasn't even at the Chuunin Exam last year," Kiba added.

"No. Besides, you already said you'll all be there with your families. I don't want to, so leave me alone," Naruto glared in frustration.

"That's exactly why we want you there! See if you come, we can ignore our parents," Ino told him, smiling.

"Shut up pig," Sakura hissed. "What she means is that we'd rather spend the day with our friends and that means bringing you along. Look, I know we're springing this on you and that's why we brought you this. I figured you wouldn't have one. Happy Birthday!"

"What?" Naruto asked straightening as Sakura handed him a bag.

"Tsunade figured Jiraiya wouldn't think to tell you ahead of time and that you probably wouldn't already have one so I picked this out," Sakura grinned.

Naruto reaching into the bag and pulling out its contents long enough to get a glimpse of the dark blue yukata in his hand. "I have to dress up?" he asked indignantly, wondering why the other three weren't dressed up. "It is nice though," he added quickly. "Thanks for the present."

Jiraiya snorted and decided to finally step in. "It is nice. So go clean up and put it on. You and Sakura both have to be there this afternoon," he told the blond.

"Really?" Naruto whined.

"Yeah. See if I have to sit around and listen to a bunch of boring diplomats like the Daimyo and the Mizukage, you're sitting through it as well. If you want to be Hokage, you have to get used to it," he challenged.

"You didn't think to tell me earlier," Naruto asked.

"Slipped my mind. That's probably a good thing now, since it would have given you warning to hide," Jiraiya countered.

Naruto deflated instantly and Sakura and Ino crowed before pulling Naruto off the field. They reached his apartment in record time but had to squeeze in the door when Naruto tried to shut it behind him.

"Just stay there for a minute," Naruto told them before they could move beyond the doormat. "People started celebrating last night and someone threw a bottle that managed to break a window," he explained, sweeping some of the glass against the wall. "I didn't have time to clean up before training."

"How did they manage to throw it all the way up here?" Ino asked.

"Down here," Naruto corrected, pointing to the rooftop across the street. "I think they were having an early party over there and one of them just chucked it this way," he shrugged, pocketing a slip of paper that had been on the floor. Once he had gotten the glass out of the way, he held out his hand for the bag Sakura had been holding for him but she shook her head.

"Go clean up first," she ordered.

"I'm clean."

"You trained all morning. Go take another shower. That way we might actually be able to do something with your hair," Ino told him as Sakura sighed and glared at her friend.

Naruto pouted, but surprisingly decided not to bother arguing with the girl over a quick shower. While he was gone, Sakura grabbed the broom he had been working with and actually picked up the broken glass while Kiba looked at the window. "It looks more like a rock got chucked through here," he said absentmindedly.

"I assume you would know exactly what it looks like when a window is shattered by a rock," Ino muttered back at him looking around at Naruto's apartment. It was messier than she was ever allowed to keep her room, but there was _some_ method to the madness – just not any method that she could quite understand. "I can't believe you were right about him skipping this festival," she finally added quietly.

"My mom said he would when I told her we were gonna hang out," Kiba explained.

"Kakashi was hinting at it this morning. Tsunade-shishou didn't mention it though; all she said was that she doubted he had anything wear and that she didn't have time to check up on him," Sakura added.

"I'm gonna go change," Kiba muttered pulling grabbing one of the bags he had been carrying all morning and heading towards Naruto's bedroom.

"Hurry up. I need to change too," Ino shouted after him as he shut the door. "What about you?"

"I'll get dressed once I'm sure Naruto is actually ready," Sakura mumbled as she heard the shower shut off in the bathroom. She grabbed the bag with Naruto's yukata and walked over to the door waiting for it to open. It swung open a bit violently a moment later and Naruto paused just long enough to grab the bag before shutting it again as Ino descended into a fit of giggles and called out, "Nice tattoo."

"Leave him alone," Sakura muttered.

"Naruto's got a tattoo?" Kiba asked, walking out of Naruto's bedroom in a red yukata and fumbling with the thin white obi cinched around his waist.

"The one on his stomach. You haven't seen it before?" Ino asked.

"I've never seen it. Don't remember seeing it at the river when we were swimming either," Kiba muttered.

"Go ahead and get dressed Ino; I'll do your obi once your done. And come here so I can tie yours before you knot it too much," Sakura chastised motioning for Kiba to walk towards her.

"What does it look like?" Kiba asked.

"A spiral," Sakura muttered, undoing the mess Kiba had made of his obi and starting over from scratch as Kiba started snickering. "Be quiet and hold still," she added, glaring at him.

"Oh come on, a spiral? How can you not laugh at that?" Kiba asked.

"It isn't that funny," Naruto muttered, walking out of the bathroom holding the striped orange obi. "Can you do mine next? I have no clue how to tie these."

"So did Jiraiya-sama decide fourteen was old enough to get a tattoo?" Kiba asked.

"I'm thirteen and it isn't that new," Naruto countered.

"You just turned thirteen today?" Sakura asked, finishing Kiba's obi and moving to tie Naruto's.

"Yeah."

"Okay your avoidance of the festival becomes a bit more understandable," Sakura muttered, wondering if that also explained the disarray his files had been in when she tried to look up who his parents were.

"We need to do something with his hair," Ino stated from the door of Naruto's bedroom. "And those scars."

"What scars?" Naruto asked.

"These," Sakura told him, poking his cheek. "You handle that while I'm changing and then I'll tie your obi and you can do mine."

"They're birthmarks," Naruto grumbled as Sakura walked out of the room.

"Yeah and I didn't really sit through a four hour ritual to get these," Kiba quipped, pointing at the fang tattoos on his cheeks.

"No seriously," Naruto insisted.

"I don't know who told you those were natural but I know what tattoos and scars look like," Ino countered.

"So do I. And you don't need to do anything with them or my hair. What is it with people messing with the way I look?"

"Maybe if you wore something other than orange once in a while. Besides, you're meeting the Daimyo and the Mizukage; you need to make a good impression," Ino stated reaching up to pull lightly at his hair. "Did you even comb it?"

"Hey!" Naruto hissed as her fingers got caught in a knot.

"Can _I_ at least comb it? Maybe it won't look so crazy."

"If you can find a comb," Naruto grinned stepping away.

Ino smirked back and reached into the bag that had held her yukata, triumphantly pulling out a brush. "This will work, now sit down and no whining."

"I don't hear you pestering Kiba."

"Kiba's not going to be with the Hokage all day," Sakura said stepping out of the bathroom.

By the time they were ready to leave half an hour later Naruto was glaring at his friends and trying to push his bangs out of his eyes. "You should really get your hair cut," Ino snickered, not at all apologetically, as she watched him.

"It wouldn't be a problem if you had left my hair alone," Naruto pointed out, closing his door behind him and walking down the hall. He reached the stairs when he realized his friends were still waiting by his door. "What?"

"You didn't lock your door, man," Kiba pointed out.

"Doesn't matter, let's go."

Sakura sighed and moved after him rolling her eyes at his behavior. "We have to meet Tsunade-shishou first. I think there's a performance or something but we should be able to join you after that."

"Performance?" Naruto repeated in confusion.

"It sounded like it was a theater troupe of the Daimyo's," Sakura explained.

"My parents said they're amazing. The last time they were here was the Fourth Hokage's appointment," Ino added.

"And we have to sit through it?" Naruto grumbled.

"Like Jiraiya-sama said, he and Tsunade-shishou have to and we're supposed to be with them as their apprentices. Shizune will be there too. And I think Kakashi-sensei, Anko, and maybe even Asuma-sensei will be there," Sakura told him.

"Why Asuma-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"You ask about him and not Anko?" Ino replied in confusion. "I mean he was the Third Hokage's son."

"Well if that was the case they would have Konohamaru there too. And Anko was Orochimaru's apprentice. I figured if they were having the Sannins' apprentices there they would include her," Naruto countered.

"Tsunade-shishou mentioned that he served the Daimyo for several years in an elite guard. She didn't really explain it that well though," Sakura added. "That reminds me, why is Anko training you?"

"Huh?"

"Earlier today when we ran into Kakashi-sensei he mentioned that he didn't have Anko training you today," Sakura explained.

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei wanted to start teaching me elemental jutsu but he isn't in town enough so he's having Anko do it."

"What element are you?" Kiba asked curiously.

"Wind."

* * *

**Agent's Spiel: **If you read **AtD** you might remember the whole no one knowing Naruto's birthday thing but that was uber angsty and even though I considered using it again I decided it would be stupid since I've already said that Sakura has actually looked into Naruto's background.

"What is with people messing with the way I look?" – This is really just swipe at me. People complain whenever I change his outfit especially since I tend to blame it on other people in the story instead of leaving Naruto as the agent of change.

Other than that this chapter feels really rambling and boring. Too much talking, but I didn't feel like paring it down at all.

Reviews:

_Kage Husha, someone179, black suede, ., evil genus, GreyGryph, Lord-Scruffy, DarkRavie, Nebula1701, Neko of death, Hebi R, Ceirwy, xxguesswhoxx, Khellan Rafe, Azamiko, The 17__th__ Immortal, Lachie_

**Okay this is kind of silly but I want your opinions now so that I don't write myself into a corner while I try to make a decision on my own. Way back when I started this fic the first time around, the manga hadn't confirmed that the Fourth was Naruto's father. Because so many people were using that idea, I decided not to and came up with another story for his background. Now of course, my idea is starting to annoy me. **

**Do you guys have an opinion? It won't change the story for a while now and the changes are small but I want to try and make a decision soon so any comments would be appreciated. **

**A) go with my completely non-canon lineage**

**B) go with partial canon – the Fourth is father (I would probably make up a mother rather than try to use Kushina at this point)**

**You can leave them in a review here or visit the blog listed in my profile; I'll make a post there that can be used for a discussion on this.**


	8. 2000 Years Pt 2

**Agent's Spiel: **Part deux of trois.

Lord Shijimi equals the Daimyo in this fic. I thought I had mentioned his name before but now I can't find it anywhere so I figured I'd mention it here since I go back and forth between his name and his title starting right away. The name comes from the manga/anime but I don't remember the character (the Daimyo's wife) as being very prominent.

Also, thanks to everyone who responded to my question last time. I did make a decision but of course, you're just going to have to wait until it gets revealed in the story to know what I chose. I've gone over it a lot to make sure it'll make sense, and I think it does – I actually like it more than most of the other ideas I had when thinking up this fic.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

**2000 Years**

"Why don't they have to wear yukata?" Naruto growled when he spotted Kakashi and Asuma standing near the stairway of a large grandstand that had been erected off to the side of an even larger stage.

Sakura rolled her eyes again and wished she hadn't had to separate from Ino and the others so early while Naruto was in a bad mood. Asuma glanced over at the two as they approached and smirked, taking a drag of his cigarette and shaking his head when he noticed Naruto's hair. "I take it Ino got to you," he quipped.

Naruto glared up at him and reached up, brushing his hand through his hair and trying to get it to spike up like normal, but it was to no avail as his bangs once again flopped down in front of his eyes. At least he had convinced them that his _birthmarks_ should be left alone. "Why don't you two have be dressed up?" he asked again.

"I'd look stupid," Kakashi offered.

"And I don't?"

"You look adorable as usual blondie," Anko smirked walking down the stairs with Shizune.

"Don't make fun of me; they made me look like an idiot," Naruto muttered, once again trying to fluff of up his hair.

Anko grinned and walked over to whisper in his ear for a moment. Sakura watched in confusion as Naruto's face scrunched up in concentration and he brought his hands out in front of him, holding them facing each other for a moment. Anko nodded and whispered something more before Naruto brought his hands up over his head, still concentrating hard even as Kakashi began laughing. A moment later, Naruto's hair began move, gently at first like a soft breeze was ruffling through it, then a bit more violently as it swirled around. When he finally lowered his arms, Anko grinned and clapped as Sakura gaped at Naruto's once again spiky hair.

"It took Ino ten minutes to get his hair fixed!" she whined as Anko turned her grin at her.

"But blondie looks cuter this way," she commented.

Sakura opened her mouth to argue back, but Shizune placed a hand on her shoulder and began pushing her gently back towards the stairs. "Asuma, that cigarette is not to follow you up here, understood?" Shizune said as she and Sakura passed him.

Asuma sighed and took another drag of his cigarette, glancing between the stairs and the cigarette he shrugged and leaned back against the wall. "Guess we'll both stay down here then," he muttered, smirking.

Naruto pouted as Anko led him towards the stairs as well, but he hesitated when he was next to Asuma and Kakashi. He looked curiously at Asuma's cigarette and Kakashi began to worry that he was going to have to discourage Naruto from picking up another unhealthy habit – his training schedule was already beginning to be of concern. However, Naruto simply performed several hand seals while staring intently at the cigarette.

Asuma simply peered back and lifted the cigarette to his lips and inhaling. When nothing happened, he looked down at the cigarette and glared over at Naruto.

"Hey it worked," Naruto grinned looking over at Anko.

"Did you just put out my cigarette?" Asuma asked unhappily, as he reached into his pocket for a lighter to relight his cigarette. "How'd you do it?" he continued as he spun the flint wheel. After several spins and not so much as a spark, he looked back over to Naruto to see the boy still holding his hands in the final seal and watching the lighter.

"Absence of air," Naruto grinned, not looking up.

"Interesting premise, mind if I try it on a human?" Asuma growled, repeating the seals he had seen Naruto use.

Kakashi quickly reached forward and teleported away, with Naruto in tow, before Asuma could finish the sequence. Anko was left grinning as she heard the two appear in the grandstand above. "Don't wait too long before heading up. Tsunade-sama's bound to get anxious," she commented before heading up the stairs herself.

**X**

"Will Jiraiya be joining us? I was told you managed to convince him to stay in the village," Lord Shijimi asked.

"Yes, he's taken interest in another student," Tsunade answered, fighting down a smirk when the Mizukage looked a bit upset by the news.

"One of Hatake's former students, correct? As is _your_ new apprentice?" the Daimyo asked, nodding in the direction of the stairs as Sakura and Shizune appeared.

It was Tsunade's turn to look slightly surprised even as she nodded. "They both completed the Chuunin exam in Kumogakure no Sato," she added, purposely failing to mention that only one of them had been promoted.

"The others will be up momentarily," Shizune nodded politely as she led Sakura over.

"You look upset," Tsunade commented. "Naruto didn't run off on you, did he?"

"No, he's down below. But Ino spent ten minutes on his hair and then Anko told him how to do some jutsu and now it's all over the place again," she moped back.

"What did he do?" Tsunade asked curiously, turning to Shizune.

"Looked like a wind jutsu," Shizune answered. "Or at least wind chakra."

Tsunade looked closely before turning completely away from the Daimyo and Mizukage as she leaned in closely towards Shizune. "When was he tested for elemental chakra?" she asked quietly.

Before Shizune could answer, the Mizukage and Daimyo's guards were put on alert by a small puff of smoke that dissipated to show that Kakashi and Naruto had arrived. "At least they got Naruto to dress up. I assume Asuma is only in uniform as well?" Tsunade asked, willfully changing the subject and waving Naruto and Kakashi over.

"Of course," Shizune answered.

"Lord Shijimi, this is Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto," Tsunade stated, introducing the two.

Sakura bowed politely and Naruto quickly, if a bit clumsily, followed her lead. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you both. My wife has spoken highly of your service to her," the Daimyo nodded in return. "I'm sure she would have traveled with me had she known you would have been present. My daughter and her husband came instead. Lady Ran and Lord Emoro," he continued, waving his hands towards an ornately dressed pair standing next to one of his guards.

Tsunade kept a straight face throughout the Daimyo's slight insult and went on to introduce the two to the Mizukage. "We've invited her here to discuss the situation in Wave Country," she explained so that Naruto and Sakura wouldn't be confused. "I hope with your experience there you won't hesitate to speak up."

The Mizukage was looking at Naruto in surprise but covered up by turning to Kakashi instead. "They've spoken highly of the work your team did there. But I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised that one of your caliber was able to take on a former Swordsman," she claimed, nodding in recognition before turning back to Tsunade.

"Is she who Zabuza tried to over throw?" Naruto whispered quietly to Kakashi once the Hokage, Sakura, and the Daimyo were busy speaking with the Mizukage.

"Her predecessor. This is the Seventh Mizukage," Kakashi explained. "I think she's been Mizukage for a little over two years."

"When did we meet the Daimyo's wife?" Naruto whispered a moment later.

"Remember Tora? That was her cat. She was pleased to see him returned," Kakashi told him, grinning under his mask as Naruto frowned at the memory. He glanced up suddenly when he heard Anko begin laughing loudly and noticed that Asuma had finally joined them in the top booth – no cigarette in sight. The two ninja were standing near the Daimyo's guard, daughter, and son-in-law looking at what might have been photograph.

"Naruto come here for a minute," Anko called waving him over happily.

Naruto stepped over quickly, taking the chance to practice the flash step that Anko had been teaching him, and instantly appeared at her side. "How long have you been working with him if he already knows that?" Asuma asked, looking at Naruto appraisingly.

"Since about week after they got back from Kumogakure," Anko brushed off as she handed a picture to Naruto. "Remember that kid I was teasing Rin about, this is him," she explained pointing to the young boy in the picture who was perched a top Kakashi's shoulders. "This is probably a year old," she added "but she did promise a picture of Kakashi without the mask."

Kakashi groaned as he approached and quickly covered the picture with his hands. "Keep this hidden, would you."

Naruto grinned and moved Kakashi's hands off the photo before his grin faded and he began glancing between Kakashi and the photo. "Is this what he actually looks like?" he finally asked.

"Let me see," Sakura said eagerly as she stepped next to Naruto. "Wait, seriously?" she asked after getting a good look at it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kakashi asked.

"There's nothing wrong," Naruto muttered in disappointment.

"Wrong?" the Daimyo's guard asked in confusion.

"Nothing, he looks completely normal. No more scars," Sakura shook her head equally disappointed.

"Not even something crazy like horse teeth or fish lips," Naruto muttered quietly as he remembered all the random theories he and Sakura had come up with when trying to convince Sasuke to help them damask their sensei.

"Fish lips?" Anko repeated before she and the guard next to her cracked up.

"What?" Kakashi asked turning to look at his students as if they were crazy.

"We figured you had an actual reason for wearing that mask. I mean you're vain enough to do that," Sakura told him. "But you look completely normal…and look he's actually smiling in this," she added jabbing at the photo and looking at Naruto.

"This isn't fair. We can't even do anything with this to embarrass him," Naruto replied.

"Such wonderful students Hatake. You know they get this from you, right?" the guard asked.

"No, I don't know who they get this from Lian. I was not like this at their age," Kakashi retorted.

"Yes you were. You were just whinier. And you got it from Jiraiya and your sensei," Lian, the guard shot back.

"He gets it from Jiraiya now," Kakashi muttered. "Now put that away and don't let anyone see it," he added turning back to Naruto.

"No that one's mine," Anko spoke up taking it back from Naruto.

"This is for you two from Rin," Lian said handing an envelope to Naruto. "Just keep it with you for now; you can look at it later."

"So her son is the same age as Konohamaru then?" Sakura asked as Naruto slipped the envelope into his yukata.

"Yeah, about a month younger but they would be in the same year at the Academy unless Rishito had managed to test out of a few years…which wouldn't actually surprise me," Asuma answered. "I hear Tsunade's been trying to convince Rin to bring him back since she found out."

"No luck yet. They've been back and forth between Hifukidake, working with Suzu, and Anraku," Ran told him.

"What are she and Suzu up to?" Anko asked.

"Is it that plague Tsunade-shishou told me about?" Sakura asked.

"It is. They think they've come up with an immunization, though they haven't tested it yet. If it works, we've asked Tsunade to send a few medics to the hardest hit areas to begin treatment," Ran answered.

"How bad is it?" Sakura asked.

"It's still spreading, but there have not been many deaths so we've been spared the worst so far. We heard from Tea Country recently and they've noticed it there as well. I believe the Hokage will bring it up with the Mizukage this week so that they're prepared if it travels to Wave Country or the Mizukage's territory.

"If I may ask, you are training with Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama respectively, correct?" Ran asked.

"Right. Though, Naruto said he's been training with Anko too," Sakura answered.

"Yes that's what she said earlier. It sounds as if their training has been very productive. Has yours gone well?"

"Mhmm, she's going to start letting me summon soon," Sakura said happily. "There's no way I'll be able to take to it as quickly as Naruto did though."

"Have you been summoning for long?" Lian asked.

"Umm a year maybe?" Naruto answered, nervously scratching the nape of his neck.

"Only a year? The Daimyo of Lightning Country mentioned you were forced to summon Gamabunta during the exam there," Emoro commented.

"You heard from them?" Sakura asked, nervously biting her lip.

"Oh yes, the Daimyo was quite apologetic. You know…well you might not know, but politics can get in the way everything. He was concerned it would set back our relations a great deal. I do apologize personally though, I originally negotiated with him to reopen the Chuunin exams but I did not take into account Otogakure's presence," Emoro told them.

Sakura grimaced having become far too well aware of politics recently. "They weren't very happy that we pulled out before the final part," she muttered.

"It was the right move considering the circumstances. Perhaps a bit too much too soon," Emoro added. Kakashi glared lightly at him with one eye and Emoro quickly changed the subject. "Any how, it is good to be back here. I believe the last time I traveled here I was still just an adjutant to the Daimyo. It was for the Fourth Hokage's appointment ceremony."

Sakura grinned slightly at the obvious diversion but took it for what it was. "Did you know the Fourth?"

"Barely. That was the first and last time we met unfortunately. He died less than a year later when the Kyuubi attacked. There were great things at work at that time," he admitted. "Haven't you ever asked Kakashi about him?"

"Um no, why?" Naruto asked.

"Because the Fourth was his sensei," Sakura hissed.

"Really?" Naruto asked, turning to Kakashi in surprise.

"I'm surprised Jiraiya never told you."

"Like Rin said, karmic backlash. I had one Hokage train me and now I'm stuck training another," Kakashi grinned poking Naruto's forehead. Naruto's eyes widened and the grin on his face was blinding as he beamed up at Kakashi.

Sakura giggled at the teasing and glanced out of the grandstand across the crowd of festival goers. "Can I ask what kind of performance we're going to be seeing? Our parents wouldn't really tell us," she said trying to change the subject away from anything that would make Naruto egotistical.

"It's a secret then," Ran giggled. "I think you'll enjoy it though. They had Konohagakure in mind when they came up with it. You won't have long to wait though, maybe an hour at most."

**X**

A little over an hour later, as the sun was starting to set, Shizune sidled over to the group and laid a hand on Sakura's shoulder, subtly drawing her away. "The Council is on their way up. They're going to be up here, just for the performance," she explained to the younger girl. "Tsunade-sama doesn't want them around Naruto or the Mizukage and she needs a moment to speak to the Daimyo alone so she's asked that we, and Jiraiya, 'entertain' them."

"Do I have to?" Sakura asked grudgingly; she wasn't sure she could keep her temper in check around them after what they had done to Naruto.

"It would help. And it won't be for long. While we're speaking to them, she's asked that we not bring up the fact that Anko is apparently training Naruto. They might already know, but if they ask, just say that you don't know," Shizune told her, walking with Sakura towards Jiraiya and the stairs to the grandstand. "We'll let Kakashi and Lady Ran entertain the Mizukage," she added nodding towards the Mizukage as she approached that group.

"But she didn't seem to like Naruto or Kakashi," Sakura pointed out.

"I don't doubt that, but it's really better that they're together so that the Council can't speak with her. It's bad enough that they were communicating with the Raikage. Tsunade would rather they not get the chance to circumvent her again."

"Can I at least join Naruto and them again when the performances start?" Sakura asked.

"Of course. And the two of you can go join your friends after that," Shizune promised.

**X**

"Is this about the plague?" Tsunade asked abruptly when she was finally left alone with the Daimyo long enough to discuss the 'urgent' business he had mentioned when they had met that morning.

"No unfortunately. Though I should thank you for agreeing to help. I'll be sending Rin here in the coming month or so with more information about that. There is some unfinished business that the Third Hokage left and that I think should be reopened now."

"What was it?" Tsunade asked in confusion.

"Rin tried to mention it during her last visit but the Council interrupted her and as they were the main reason it was left unfinished, she wisely didn't push the matter. The Nami family of Anraku was in the middle of a custody dispute concerning a young shinobi here," Lord Shijimi explained.

Tsunade paused for a moment before remembering the start of that conversation. "What can we do for them?" she asked.

"If you would consider meeting with Nami Senma she would appreciate it. The child's father is now deceased but his family was supposed to take custody shortly after his birth."

"Who are we talking about?" Tsunade asked, trying to remember if any shinobi had been connected to the family. The Daimyo grimaced visibly and glanced over towards Naruto. "What?" Tsunade hissed.

"It was his mother's wish that he be sent to them once the sealing was complete and the Fourth had made the arrangements but the Council intervened after his death. It's too late to remove him entirely from the village, and certainly doesn't seem like he would agree, but if he could at least be reintroduced to them…"

"The Nami family knows who his parents are? His records were destroyed," Tsunade stated.

"Understandable considering the circumstances. Senma knows that at this point it should be his choice, it was always meant to be his choice to return anyways. They were distraught when the Council decided to cut off all ties with them and would at least like the chance-"

"Of course we will. It may take some time though. If the Council interfered then…well they're already trying to again," Tsunade muttered angrily. "Sarutobi actually allowed it?"

"Yes. We had hoped that when he appointed Hatake as the boy's sensei that we would be able to make more progress but it never happened. We learned later that that barely happened."

"Is that so?"

"Something about threatening to use Anko instead? I don't quite remember the story; I'm sure Kakashi could explain it better. Although, it's interesting to hear she's teaching him now anyways. My wife will enjoy hearing that; she's had a soft spot for the young woman ever since she acted as security at Ran's wedding," the Daimyo explained effectively changing the subject. "She'll be sorry she decided not to come but she didn't want to risk running into the Council. She was who originally came to speak with Sarutobi after Naruto became a Genin and found them just as contrary as ever. She picked the performance for this evening. She was certain they must have forgotten the story considering their behavior; though I'm not sure she would have chosen it if she had known the Mizukage would be here."

"What is the performance?" Tsunade asked trying to keep the concern out of her voice.

"It's…well it looks like it's about to start now," the Daimyo answered turning towards the stage as a single drumbeat resounded through the air.

A hush went over the festival crowd as they turned towards the large stage that had been erected. The only person who wasn't almost completely silent was Tsunade as she persisted with the Daimyo. "What is the performance?" she asked again.

"Well she thought it was only fitting for the memorial to remind those of the sacrifices made," Lord Shijimi responded quietly.

Tsunade's eyes widened as she turned back towards the stage where a single acrobat was standing, dressed all in red. It took her a moment to notice the cat o' nine tails that the acrobat was holding. The weapon was unlikely to ever inflict harm as the tails were made up of a thick feathery rope which helped make them more visible to the audience. Tsunade spared a peek at Naruto and found him staring blankly at the stage.

The acrobat on stage whipped her tails about as several others joined her on stage. Every few moments, the drums would beat in unison and the whip would crack on the stage's surface igniting a plume of brilliant scarlet smoke that lingered, obscuring the other acrobats as they danced around the red acrobat, occasionally flirting with her figure and the whip before being cast aside. Their dance continued for several minutes, as the smoke grew denser and the sound of the drums more thunderous every time the whip cracked down.

Suddenly the movement on the stage stopped and the drums were silenced. Tsunade paused to glance at Naruto again but he was merely standing stock still next to Kakashi and Sakura, gazing in the direction of the stage. He recoiled suddenly, bumping slightly into Kakashi, when the smoke was dispersed and the red acrobat was lit in relief by a number of flares. Surrounding her on all sides were the bodies of the other acrobats.

The red figure turned slowly, as if inspecting her work, and then cracked the whip once more behind her, igniting nine more flares behind her. The flares illuminated another figure, standing silently in a white and red cloak, watching the acrobat. The drums began to roll as the red acrobat spun away from the second figure.

Next to Naruto and Kakashi, Sakura gasped in delight. "Is that supposed to be the Fourth?" she asked curiously, not taking her eyes away from the stage. When no one bothered to answer her, she glanced up at Kakashi out of the corner of her eyes and then turned fully to stare at him. Her sensei was staring at the stage, his uncovered eye wide with what might have been terror, and she could only grimace in response. Sometimes it was easy to forget that there were shinobi still alive who had faced the demon but she had never really imagined that her sensei could have been one of them. Instead of trying to ask her question again, she grabbed Naruto's arm a bit nervously and tried to focus on the performers instead.

The red acrobat was still spinning about on stage as the drums became more frantic, occasionally cracking the cat o' nine tails behind her while the cloaked figure stood unmoving watching her. Suddenly the drums stopped again and the red acrobat froze as the cloaked figure reached one arm out of his cloak and threw it off. The drums resounded loudly as the cloak fell to the ground and the red acrobat lunged at the man.

Sakura had to squint to see it but she was fairly certain the man was holding something in his arms. She made a mental note to ask one of her friends if they had been standing close enough to the stage to get a better look.

The red acrobat froze just feet from the other performer and flailed the whip behind her sending up plume after plume of smoke into the air and once again obscuring the stage from view. When the smoke disappeared again, the red acrobat was gone and the other performer was lying on the cloak he had cast off.

This time, Sakura was certain that there was something in his arms but Kakashi still looked too distracted for her to ask. It didn't look like any sort of weapon. It looked…_almost like a bundle of blankets,_ Sakura thought to herself as Naruto shivered next to her.

The stage went dark and the drums stopped at last leaving only a tense silence behind. After a few moments, there was some sporadic applause from the crowd and once Sakura noted Shizune clapping, she removed her hands from Naruto's arm and joined in as well, not noticing when Naruto turned to stare at her in surprise.

When the applause had died down, the stage was lit up again and the drums began a more familiar rhythm, a welcome sound to those in the audience who had remained stunned by the performance, including Kakashi who seemed to jolt suddenly and look down at Naruto in concern. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and Naruto turned nervously to look up at him. "Stay here a bit longer, then Anko or I will take you…not to your apartment, maybe to Iruka," Kakashi whispered, realizing that it probably wouldn't be a good idea for him to return home that night.

"What?" Sakura hissed, catching only the first bit of Kakashi whisper. "He can't leave already," she whispered back angrily. "He promised to hang out with us for a bit and Shizune said we could go find our friends after the performance."

"I…I'm not really feeling good," Naruto muttered and Sakura turned to stare at him realizing that he looked really pale and seemed to be shaking.

"Please? You don't have to stay for long if you really don't feel well, but at least come say hi to everyone else. Kiba will be pissed off if you don't," Sakura insisted.

**X**

"That wasn't very thought out," Tsunade hissed to the Daimyo, as Jiraiya approached.

"I beg your pardon? What wasn't? It was a fitting performance for the occasion to remember the sacrifices made that night," the Daimyo replied.

"Remember the sacrifices? What 'sacrifices' do you expect them to remember over their own losses?" Tsunade whispered angrily as her eyes narrowed. She was about to continue when Jiraiya placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Kakashi's taking the brats down to see their friends. Do you need anything out of them first?" he asked.

"I need to speak with Naruto. Tell Kakashi and Sakura they can wait at the bottom of the stairs. I'll send him down in a minute," she answered, turning back to the Daimyo. "We'll continue this tomorrow," she told him angrily. "But if you want better relations, I wouldn't recommend pulling these stunts again to rile up my people."

"This 'stunt' as you call it was not meant to 'rile' anybody up," the Daimyo responded coolly. "Such a performance put on outside of this village would be met with cheers and prayers of remembrance and thanks. What do they have to be angry about?"

Tsunade straightened suddenly and spun away from him as she headed towards the top of the stairs where Naruto was waiting for her. She had walked right into that last comment and knew that answering it could only lead to more trouble. There had been enough trouble with Naruto avoiding crowds, and people in general, after Kisame's unexpected appearance that past summer. And after word of the Council's decision…well, some people had made it clear that they didn't support it, others had made it clear that they did and Naruto had proven that he didn't really want to be around either group for fear it would come up. She knew now that his extra time had been spent with Anko – which was actually a relief considering the explanations that Shizune had dreamed up – but he had seemed increasingly isolated – she had heard that he wouldn't even go to Ichiraku any more. If anything…this would prove as polarizing as the Council's decision. Some would get from it the exact thing that the Daimyo wanted, others would face reopened wounds by going after the same target they had for years if Iruka's stories were anything to go by.

Stopping in front of Naruto, she sighed as she got a good look at him. He was pale and shaking and his eyes were dull with narrow, slitted pupils. "I'm sorry," she told him quietly. "If I had known this is what he had planned I wouldn't have asked you to come. I just thought it would be best if you were seen publicly with me."

Naruto nodded after a moment and grinned weakly. "It was a cool performance though," he told her.

Tsunade returned the grin with a weak smile of her own and took his shoulder as she guided him down the stairs, making sure that he would be seen leaving with her permission at least. "Make sure you stay with Kakashi this evening and meet up with Jiraiya tomorrow. I'm going to need to talk with you anyways in a bit, but I need to speak more with the Daimyo first so I'll call you to my office when I'm ready," she told him.

Naruto looked up at her curiously but she only shook her head and rubbed his hair affectionately. "Keep up the good work. Jiraiya says you're doing well and, from the looks of things, you're doing well with Anko as well. I'm going to get that story out of Kakashi and then I want to see what you've been learning for myself," she added, waving him off and nodding once to Kakashi as Naruto walked over to meet with them.

Once he had faded into the crowd, she lifted up her arm and snapped once. Immediately a masked shinobi appeared next to her. "Yuugao follow them and make sure nothing happens tonight," Tsunade ordered before turning to return to the grandstand. "He deserves a break," she muttered quietly as she took a moment to compose herself.

* * *

**Agent's Spiel:** That is all. I decided that in order to help shorten these notes that I would put end of the chapter commentary up over at the blog instead. So check that out if you have any questions to see if they were answered.

**Jutsu:**

The one Naruto performed on Asuma's cigarette doesn't have a name yet, but it may sound familiar if you read **AtD**. It is meant to be the same one, as Naruto would have eventually been revealed as its creator.

Also, I think 'flash stepping' is actually from Bleach but I'm sure there's something similar in the ninja-verse. I might come up with a different name for it, but I don't feel like it right now.

**Reviews:**

Nebula1701, someone179, watchingtherain1, DarkRavie, Neko of death, naturokurosaki, Kage Husha, Azamiko, ., Sect, Hebi R, flowerfairy22, Stars-Eclipsed, Kaear, nlblake,

Also, someone reviewed like two chapters ago (I can't remember who now because of course I deleted it) but they mentioned something about the Council not being within the military hierarchy and how they shouldn't be able to block Naruto's promotion for good. This is (most likely) true the only reason they could step in when they did has to do with what Tsume said about the Council being used to having more power. Basically when the Third became Hokage for the second time he agreed to share power more equally. It isn't really on the books or anything, just a new tradition and because Tsunade is new and still negotiating the job, she's having trouble really putting them back in their place because they _do_ have support both within the civilian and ninja populations of Konoha. I hope that explains it a bit more.


	9. 2000 Years Pt 3

**Agent's Spiel:** Second to last part. And this is a really mean update because it's coming so soon after the last one, but I have no clue when the next update will come.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

**2000 Years**

"Do you actually know where your friends are supposed to be?" Kakashi asked as the trio wound their way through the festive crowd. He was sticking as close to Naruto as possible, making sure the blond was never more than an arm's length away, but the occasional glares sent Naruto's way were beginning to concern him.

"We left them near the weapons shop that TenTen's family runs. I think they were going to watch from the roof there," Sakura explained to him.

Kakashi paused for a moment in thought before nodding and grabbing both of his students by the arm and disappearing from the crowded plaza. They appeared again in a narrow alley way and Sakura glared at Kakashi as she coughed from the smoke. "If they're still there we're much closer now," Kakashi told her, his eye crinkling up in a grin.

Sakura was about to retort about how she had wanted to see the festival grounds as they walked through but she swallowed her comments thickly when she noticed how tired her sensei looked. She knew he had just returned from a mission that morning, but he – like Naruto – looked pale and his single eye was darting about the crowd as if looking for threats. Naruto had remained silent since he had left Tsunade's side and had never looked smaller, his shoulders hunched slightly as he nervously picked at the hem of his yukata sleeve; even his eyes had remained nearly half-lidded unless he was looking at Kakashi, refusing to give her contact.

"Fine," Sakura muttered eventually as she led them out of the alley way and towards the storefront to see if she could get their friends' attention. Having succeeded – Akamaru had smelled them the moment they landed in the alley – the trio quickly moved up the rooftop to join the others. Both other rookie teams, Team Gai, most of their parents, and even sensei were there. Naruto nervously followed Sakura over to their friends while Kakashi was ambushed by Gai's enthusiastic greeting, even if it did die down the minute Naruto was out of earshot. Akamaru bombarded the two new comers with gleeful yelps and attempts to smother them with his tongue that finally succeeded in getting a small grin out of Naruto as he handed the dog back to Kiba. Glancing around, Naruto was thankful to note that Ino and Hinata were several feet away speaking with Kurenai.

"Was it boring with the Hokage?" Chouji asked as the group settled down.

"No. The Daimyo and his family are really interesting," Sakura told them. "The Mizukage seems nicer than the Raikage at least, but I didn't really get to hear from her."

"Nicer than the Raikage? You met him?" Neji asked.

"Unfortunately," Sakura muttered, remembering all too well the man's behavior after the first test.

"What about you?" Kiba asked, turning on Naruto.

"I didn't like her," Naruto stated.

"Why not? I know she didn't seem to like Kakashi, kept sneering at him, but she didn't really seem that bad," Sakura said.

"She kept talking Zabuza and Haku; she'd heard about them from people in Wave Country and knew about them. She knew about Haku's family too; Kirigakure was responsible for going into Snow Country and getting rid of all their bloodlines. Apparently they did that to a lot of smaller countries," Naruto griped.

"And she was proud of that?" TenTen asked, raising an eyebrow delicately.

"She sure sounded like she was," Naruto muttered. "That was right before they invaded and took them over. She wasn't Mizukage then, but she would have taken part in the later ones at least."

"Are they going after Wave Country?" Sakura asked in concern.

"I don't think so. Not that she would have actually said so in front of us, but it doesn't sound like they would, at least not right now," Naruto told her. "They're working with us to set up a security force there so apparently some kids from Wave Country will come here to go to the academy and some will go to Kirigakure. Once they've finished training they'll go back there to take over security. It's supposed to help prevent someone like Gatou from being able to build up a base there."

"Didn't you hear the same conversation?" Kiba asked.

"No. The Council arrived right before the performance and Tsunade-shishou didn't want them around the Mizukage so I had to go with Shizune and talk with them for a minute or two. I got to leave when the performance started," Sakura explained. She was interrupted from going further when Ino appeared by her side, glaring at Naruto.

"What did you do to your hair?" the blonde girl shrieked, nearly silencing the rooftop party. Most glanced their way before turning away laughing as Naruto grinned at Ino a bit sheepishly.

"I told you it was too long to leave like that. Anko showed me how to get it back to normal," he told her.

"How…you are so mean! I spent ten minutes on it and you looked cute and then you show up here and I can't even brag about it," Ino flitted throwing her arms up in the air in aggravation. "Why didn't you stop him?" she added, turning to Sakura.

"I didn't realize what he was doing until it was done," Sakura apologized. "It was cool to see though. He was using wind chakra to do it."

"I don't care that he's learned how to use wind chakra. You've learned stuff you could have used on him too, like punching him through a brick wall," Ino commented a bit menacingly.

"Does that mean you've mastered more of the Hokage's strength techniques?" Shino asked.

"Oh yeah, I've been working on that ever since Naruto told me what she could do with it. She let me practice a few weeks ago on a brick wall. It wasn't as thick as that one Naruto told us about but I managed to take down about ten feet of it with on blow," Sakura grinned.

"Ten feet of a brick wall?" Kiba whistled. "Wait, the Hokage can do more than that?"

"Yeah. Naruto's seen it," Sakura nodded.

"And you still insult her to her face?" Neji asked, staring at Naruto blankly.

Naruto grinned up at him and scratched the nape of his neck nervously. "She doesn't try to hit me anymore," he reasoned.

"At least he didn't risk going against her today. You know he really was going to skip the festival when the three of us finally found him," Ino added.

"I told you, I don't like festivals," Naruto insisted, the grin sliding off his face.

"I don't care. And I don't care that it's your birthday. This is _the_ most important festival we celebrate," Ino retorted.

"It isn't _the_ most important festival. It's just the biggest one," Naruto shot back.

"He's right you know," Neji interrupted. "The only reason this is considered so important is because even the civilians take part in it. The more important ones would probably be shinobi only. We wouldn't even be here if this was something like the Founder Festival or one celebrating the end of the wars."

"Then why can you take part in this one? I'd assume being from such a big clan you'd have even more people to mourn than the rest of us."

Ino didn't get her answer from Neji. Instead, Naruto spoke up. "Because we were still at war when the Kyuubi attacked. Most of the ninja still here were on reserve and I doubt a Hyuuga would be considered reserve so they would have been at the front."

"How…how do you even know that?" Ino asked.

"You really _did_ pay attention in the academy didn't you," Sakura spoke up, remembering Naruto's random comments on the road to Kumogakure no Sato.

"Well, if you sit through the same class three times that stuff eventually sinks in," Naruto joked.

"Three times?" Shikamaru asked in awe. "Naruto I didn't manage to fail once and I slept through all six year at the Academy."

"That's because he wasn't sleeping. He was skipping class entirely," TenTen stated.

"How'd you know that?" Ino asked.

"He was in our class for about a year and half. Not until the graduation exam. I think he was taken out of our class when we were about ten," she answered.

"I don't remember that," Lee spoke up.

"That's because you did nothing but train all through the academy. I doubt you could name a single other student from our class."

"Wait if you just turned thirteen how did you manage to fail that many times?" Sakura muttered to herself.

"Uh anyways, the hag said-"

"Naruto don't call her that," Sakura shouted angrily, successfully derailing her own train of thought and the entire conversation. "You were being so nice in the grandstand can't you be a _little_ more respectful?"

"I guess," Naruto sighed, secretly patting himself on the back for avoiding so many questions.

"Well anyways, why _is_ Anko training you?" Sakura asked. "Not even Tsunade knew. Are you going to get into trouble because of it?" she added in genuine concern.

"Neh. Besides, we're not doing much. She's just training me because Kakashi-sensei isn't in town enough to do it. He'd probably have her or someone else work with you too if he though you had extra time on your hands," Naruto promised.

Sakura and the others paused for a moment and Naruto started to fidget and tried to think up something else to distract them with when he noticed new guests. "Hey look, it's that Lian guy with Asuma-sensei," Naruto spoke up pointing to the stairs to the roof where Asuma had just appeared. A moment later, they watched as Hinata's father arrived as well with Hinata's sister in tow. And when Konohamaru appeared next, immediately spotting Naruto halfway across the roof, he whooped in joy and took off, pulling a flabbergasted Hanabi with him and being followed by Udon and Moegi.

"Naruto nii-san!" Konohamaru shouted in greeting as he arrived next to Naruto.

As Naruto recovered from the loud greeting that had left a ringing in his ears, Konohamaru continued to gleefully talk about the festival. He and Moegi quickly dominated the sound space around them, hindering any possible conversation the older ninja could have started. Of course when Moegi happily brought up the _awesome_ performers, Naruto started sending pleading glances in Kakashi's direction.

"I didn't like it," Konohamaru stated suddenly.

"Really?" Hinata asked. "It was put together very well."

"The guy playing the Fourth didn't look right," Konohamaru told her.

"You know what the Fourth looked like?" Shino asked.

"Of course I do. There was a picture of him in my grandpa's office. His hair was all spiky and it wasn't long like that performer's was," Konohamaru informed them.

"What else?" Ino asked.

"Well I don't know what color it was. The picture's in black and white, but it must have been lighter," Konohamaru said, frowning as he tried to remember the picture. "I don't really remember much more. I haven't been up there since that hag became Hokage."

"Konohamaru!"

"Naruto!"

Both boys paused, and Naruto tried not to grin, when Ino, Sakura, and Moegi yelled at them. "What? She _is_ old," Konohamaru replied, tempting fate in front of the devoted young women.

**X**

"How'd you manage to leave the Daimyo?" Kakashi asked Lian when he showed up.

"Reiko and Kano can handle it. Besides, the Hokage started to hint that she knew I knew Rin outside of Konoha and the Daimyo didn't want me answering questions," Lian responded, grinning when Kurenai turned a huffy glare in his direction.

"I don't believe this. She just wants to know if Rin's been getting in trouble," Kurenai declared angrily.

"Of course she does. And it's a very understandable concern. That doesn't mean the Daimyo wants her investigating that just yet," Lian grinned back. He paused for a moment when he heard several of the younger girls shout Naruto's name. "Oh and Kakashi, Mitarashi's waiting for you below. She said if you were gonna stay, to send Naruto down. She wanted to get him away from the crowd before people started to get drunk."

Kakashi nodded and glanced over at Naruto, relieved to see that blond was already looking over at him regularly as Konohamaru's chastisement gave way to the little red head speaking loudly about the acrobats she had seen. "We'll be going then. I have to try to ignore Tsunade until she sends me out another mission. She'll probably forget Rin for Anko anyhow," Kakashi answered as he walked away from the group.

"Why Anko?" Gai asked.

"Because Kakashi has her training Naruto," Asuma answered. "Brat managed to use wind chakra to create jutsu that put out one of my cigarettes."

"Good, you're supposed to be quitting," Kurenai glared. "And why would it matter that Anko's training him? I know she's not the most popular kunoichi, but she's certainly capable."

"Yeah, except pops didn't threaten to use any other capable kunoichi if the Council wouldn't let Kakashi take Team 7," Asuma told her.

"What? I thought Kakashi didn't want to teach. He'd been failing students for years before Naruto and the others came along," Gai stated.

"Yeah, he failed them because they weren't Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. He _wanted_ that team and almost didn't get them because the council wouldn't let him. My dad had to threaten to pair them up with Anko in order to make Kakashi seem like the more innocent choice. Add in the fact that Kakashi is just about the only person still in Konoha who understands the sharingan, they didn't argue for much longer," Asuma explained.

**X**

"Naruto, we need to go," Kakashi interrupted, tapping Naruto on the shoulder. Naruto nodded and turned to leave without a peep of argument – which only served to piss Sakura off as she went after them.

"Why does he have to leave already? I wanted to go say hello to my parents," she argued.

"You can go do that," Kakashi told her, his eye curling up in that maddening false smile – even worse since she now knew what his face looked like when he was actually smiling.

"I wanted him to come with me so that my mom could see his yukata. She helped me pick it out," Sakura stated.

"Did she know it was for him?" Kakashi asked, glancing at the yukata curiously. It was flattering enough that he sure Sakura's mother couldn't have known.

"She knew it was surprise for a friend. I didn't tell her so that it would stay a surprise," Sakura informed him.

"Well, I don't think that's such a good idea right now," Kakashi said. "Now, if you don't mind Anko's waiting down stairs and I'd rather she not have to wait long."

When Sakura made to follow them into the stairwell and continue the argument, Kakashi nudged Naruto to continue down as he turned and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, leaning down to speak eye to eye. "Please go back and stay with your friends. You have fun tonight and relay Naruto's thanks to your mother but we really need to just go," he told her sternly.

"Can't you at least stay until the fireworks?" she asked a bit pathetically, knowing she wouldn't win this argument.

"No. Now go back to your friends," Kakashi stated, turning to leave.

Sakura glared after the two until they left the stairwell before twirling around and going back to join her friends. "What was that about?" Ino asked in surprise.

"Kakashi-sensei is being jerk," Sakura bit out huffily before sighing and shaking her head at herself. "No he's not," she added a moment later. "He's in a bad mood because of that performance. I always forget he's old enough to have fought the Kyuubi and the Fourth was his sensei," she sighed.

"The Fourth Hokage was his sensei?" Moegi asked in awe.

"Yeah, you should have heard him earlier when he told Naruto," Sakura grinned. "We were teasing him and when the Daimyo's son-in-law mentioned the Fourth I asked if he had known him and Lord Emoro mentioned that he hadn't known him very well but he pointed out that Kakashi-sensei did. So when Kakashi admitted that the Fourth had been his sensei, he pulled out this karmic backlash joke and told Naruto that since he was a brat when he was trained by the Fourth he was stuck training another Hokage. I have never seen Naruto smile that much before."

"Is…is Uzumaki really going to be Hokage? Hatake-san shouldn't have joked about that in front of the Daimyo's family," Hanabi spoke up.

"You know. I don't think it's much of a joke after everything we've been hearing. I mean, even Kiba's mom mentioned it," Sakura said, more to herself than the others.

"Yeah, that's _if_ they can get past the Council," Kiba muttered back.

"Ha! I knew he could do it!" Konohamaru cheered happily before being hushed quickly. "What?"

"We don't know anything yet," Sakura told him. "I'm just saying that it's possible. Naruto's getting really good. I mean he'll have to get over his fear of festivals first, but who knows?"

"Hey, speaking of the performance, except not really. Was the guy playing the Fourth Hokage holding something when he threw off his cloak?" Ino asked, reminding Sakura of her own question.

"I noticed that too!" Sakura said. "But I couldn't see it very well even where we were. I was hoping one of you guys might have moved up closer to watch."

"No, we were all here," Ino told her in disappointment. "I couldn't tell what it was supposed to be. At first I thought it might have been a weapon, but they never showed him using it."

"It looked like cloth," Sakura added.

"Maybe it was a jinchuriki."

Hanabi's sudden suggestion silenced the entire group as the teens turned to look at her. "What did you just say?" Neji asked angrily.

"Well, that's how the other villages got rid of the demons wasn't it? There was that one from Sunagakure who fought here during the invasion, right?" Hanabi told him.

"Hanabi," Hinata chastised. "Don't talk like that for no reason."

"I'm just saying he could have been holding a baby. It looked like a blanket from where I was standing," her sister said back defensively.

"It was probably supposed to bandages or something. Or maybe he had taken off a flak vest too, I didn't notice him wearing one," TenTen offered, trying to change the subject.

"Umm, guys, I'm gonna try and go find my parents. I told them I would watch the fireworks with them," Sakura said suddenly. Without waiting for the others to respond, she took off towards the steps and into the streets.

She paused for a moment to try and wipe the sudden tears from her eyes before continuing on and cursing herself for not knowing where Naruto and Kakashi had gone.

**X**

"Hey, maybe she's the jinchuriki," Hanabi joked after Sakura disappeared.

"Not funny Hanabi," Neji said sternly.

"Well I thought it was," Konohamaru snickered. "It would explain her temper."

"Also not funny," Chouji told him.

"I think Sakura's had enough experiences with jinchuriki to know to be afraid of them," Shino stated.

"What do you mean?" Moegi asked.

"She was there when her team fought Gaara. And again when we fought the one from Kumogakure," Shino told her.

Kiba snickered, trying to lighten the mood, and joked, "Don't you mean ran from the one in Kumogakure?"

"That sounds like the smartest way to fight one," Hinata said quietly in Shino's defense.

**X**

"So where are we going?" Naruto asked once he, Kakashi, and Anko had made it several blocks away from his friends.

"Don't know yet. I figure we can use Anko's nose to find Iruka. You really shouldn't stay on your own after that stupid performance. If we can't find him, you'll just have to stay with one of us but I figure you'll be more comfortable at Iruka's," Kakashi told him.

"Right," Naruto muttered, glancing away from his sensei. "Wait, why's Anko supposed to be so good at finding Iruka? I thought you were the better tracker?"

"I am, except when it comes to Iruka," Kakashi stated, getting a small giggle out of Anko.

"If that's the case, we're going the wrong direction," Anko snickered again. "He was gonna watch the fireworks from the Academy roof."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Kakashi deadpanned.

"You looked like you needed to blow off some steam," she told him. "And I was gonna see if we could lose Yuugao first," she added, waving to the roof above them. A black clad figure appeared just long enough to flick Anko off before disappearing again. "So what you say we take the alleys? Less crowded that way, right?" Anko finished still grinning widely.

Naruto returned the grin a bit nervously and for the rest of their walk Naruto sent regular glances up at the rooftops trying to spot the female ANBU.

**X**

After a half hour of no luck finding them – not that she had had much help since she had been sure to only speak to Jounin she recognized as liking Kakashi – she turned around slightly in defeat to go look for her parents and promising to seek Naruto out the next day.

Sakura sighed when she finally spotted her parents and their friends. She paused just long enough to glance at her reflection in a nearby window and, once assured that there were no signs of tears on her face, she sidled up to them happily, throwing her arms around her mother's waist in a hug. "How much longer before the fireworks start?" she asked eagerly.

"Maybe half an hour," her mother told her returning the smile. Her smile wavered for a moment as she added, "I thought you were going to watch with your friends?"

"Oh I was, but Naruto had to leave so I decided it wouldn't be as much fun," she told them innocently, clearly noting when her mother's body stiffened.

"We hear you were seated with the Hokage this afternoon. That must have been quite an honor," one of her mother's friends noted.

"It was. I met the Daimyo and the Mizukage. Don't worry mom, I was on my best behavior," Sakura grinned.

"And what about that boy, your teammate?" one of the other women asked derisively.

**X**

"Are you sure Iruka's here?" Kakashi asked as they approached the academy.

"Yeah, he said he would be."

"Where are the others?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"What others? I don't think anyone else was gonna be here, though I guess he might have invited Ebisu. They've become friends because Iruka's teaching Konohamaru now," Anko told him.

"Anko, how do you know Iruka-sensei so well?" Naruto asked.

**X**

"Naruto was just as good as I was," Sakura retorted, letting it show that she was offended.

"The Hokage should not have had him up there. I can understand having her apprentice with her, especially seeing as how it's you. I don't think you could misstep around the Daimyo even if you tried. But that boy is so rash."

"No he isn't-"

"I hope he was at least presentable. That ridiculous jumpsuit he always wears needs to be burned," the same woman continued, cutting Sakura off.

"Of course he was. He was wearing the yukata we bought; remember the blue one you helped me pick out, mom? I gave it to him for his birthday," Sakura spoke up.

"That was for _him_?" her mother asked in shock.

**X**

"Naruto, I have a confession to make. I have the hugest crush on your former sensei," Anko confided, grinning widely at him.

Naruto stared at her in shock for a moment before he started to snicker quietly. "See look how easy it is to get him back in a good mood," Anko told Kakashi.

"Yeah, just wait until he realizes you weren't joking," Kakashi retorted as he grabbed Naruto and teleported next to Iruka onto the roof.

When Anko joined them a moment later, Iruka and Ebisu were recovering from the shock of having Naruto nearly dumped on them by Kakashi. Iruka stared at the blond in his lap for a moment before the yukata registered in his mind. "You weren't actually at the festival this year, were you?" Iruka asked, staring at Naruto in shock.

**X**

"Of course it was. Tsunade-shishou didn't have the chance to tell him about the festival in person, and she knew Jiraiya-sama would forget – of course, it was good thing he did – but she told me ahead of time that she doubted he would have a yukata. I decided it would be the best thing to get him when I was trying to think up a birthday present," Sakura informed her.

"But…it was such a nice a yukata," her mother nearly lamented.

"Well he did have to wear it in front of the Mizukage and Daimyo," Sakura pointed out.

"You…you spent a month's wages on it, Sakura," her mother stated a bit angrily.

"I know! And then Kakashi-sensei had to go and outshine my present when he told Naruto he knew he would become Hokage!"

**X**

"Umm, the Hokage made me," Naruto told him, climbing to his feet. "Can we watch the fireworks with you?"

"Of course," Iruka told him. "Did…did the Hokage know ahead of time about the performance?" he asked, suddenly angry as he turned on Kakashi and Anko.

"No, she didn't," Naruto interrupted. "She told me she didn't and so did Lady Ran."

"Lady Ran? You met the Daimyo's daughter? You were in the grandstand?" Ebisu asked curiously.

"On my best behavior, promise – well except when we were making fun of Kakashi-sensei. But the Daimyo's guard started it," Naruto told them, grinning widely.

"He's telling the truth," Anko agreed, mirroring Naruto's grin.

**X**

"He what?" her mother asked, looking suddenly faint.

"It was awesome," Sakura grinned brightly. "And that performance was gorgeous. Wasn't it?"

Her mother and her friends paused and looked at each other wide eyed as Sakura's grin narrowed slightly into a smirk. "You don't like Naruto, do you mom?"

**X**

"Although I'm the one who gave them the picture," Anko added.

"What picture?" Ebisu asked in confusion.

"Let's not talk about the picture," Kakashi growled.

"Okay. Hey Anko, how long have you had a cru-"

"We're not talking about that either, Naruto," Anko told him, holding a hand over his mouth.

**X**

"Kakashi-sensei's noticed it too. Did you know that?" Sakura asked, looking up at her mother with a completely straight face. "And I'd really, really like it if you could find way to remember that Naruto's my teammate even if we aren't training together right now. At the very least, next time you run into him on the street, remember that the only reason I'm still alive, is that he's saved life on more than one occasion, okay? Because he really doesn't need people like you giving him bullshit over something that isn't his fault!"

**X**

"Oh so he can make fun of me and not you?" Kakashi asked.

"He should really try to have fun without making fun of anyone," Ebisu pointed out as Naruto's shoulders deflated slightly.

"No, let's keep making fun of people," Anko stated. "That reminds me. We wanna know if he can stay with you tonight."

**X**

"Sakura, you don't know what you're talking about," her mother replied sternly.

"Wanna bet?"

"Dear, you should listen to your mother. She has excellent judgement."

"No. No she doesn't. You liked _Sasuke_ and not _Naruto_ and who's the one who betrayed his team? Who's the one who almost died for his village? Why the hell does everyone keep getting it **wrong**?"

**X**

"Of course. I wouldn't have wanted him in his apartment tonight even if he hadn't been at the festival. I was going to head over there once the fireworks were over. He's normally not home before than anyways," Iruka told them.

"You're not?" Anko asked.

"I like fireworks," Naruto grinned once Anko moved her hand off his mouth.

**X**

"Sakura! Stop this," her mother ordered angrily.

"No. I mean it! Why do you keep getting it wrong? Why do you hate the one teammate who's always been there for me, to the point that our sensei doesn't want him to have to come near you?"

**X**

"That does not surprise me," Anko muttered. "You strike me as someone who loves loud things."

"And you don't?" Naruto retorted.

"Well of course I do. I prefer storms though," Anko told him.

"I did when I was littler, but then I started liking fireworks because they were more colorful."

"Yes unfortunately he liked storms so much that it was impossible to get him to pay attention during class if one was raging," Iruka pointed out.

**X**

"You're one of those people who were happy he wasn't promoted, aren't you?" Sakura asked in disgust.

"Of course we were happy," one of her mother's friends responded, seeing as how Sakura's mother was struck silent. "That boy is not fit to have the title shinobi, and certainly not Chuunin."

**X**

"Now see I don't believe that. You should hear him when we're training. Iruka I don't know how this brat wasn't at the top of your class," Anko informed him.

"He does that with you too?" Kakashi asked.

"Does what?" Iruka asked.

"Nothing. They're just making fun of me now," Naruto grinned, hoping they'd drop it.

**X**

"Seriously? That's the best you can come up with?" Sakura retorted. "Did you not listen? I'd be _dead_ if it weren't for him. About a half a dozen times over."

"You wouldn't be in those positions in the first place if it weren't for him," her mother spoke up.

**X**

"I'm not making fun of you," Anko shot back.

"What does he do?" Iruka asked in confusion.

"Dates, he's really good at remembering them."

"Ah history, well, you can thank his earlier teachers for that. By the time I got him in class we had moved on from that," Iruka grinned. "Who were your earlier teachers?"

"Uh, I only remember Mizuki-sensei. And I skipped class when he was teaching. I thought you taught that stuff," Naruto told him, not noticing when Kakashi's eye flickered to him, suddenly wide with curiosity.

**X**

"What is that even supposed to mean? That I wouldn't have been assigned 'dangerous' missions if he weren't on my team? Of course I would. I just wouldn't have him for back up," Sakura spat out.

"No, that you wouldn't have random missing nin attacking you just outside our village if they weren't targeting him in the first place," her mother sneered.

"Those things do nothing but attract trouble from the wrong sort. We'd be better off just getting it over with ourselves instead of letting him be used against us," another woman commented.

"Did you…are you saying what I think you're saying?" Sakura asked, her breath catching in her throat.

**X**

"You must have spent more time with your books than I noticed," Iruka told him, still smiling. "It is good to know you picked up something while you were at the Academy."

**X**

"I'm staying with one of my friends tonight," Sakura stated before any of the women could answer her.

"Sakura come back here," her mother ordered, taking a step after her daughter.

**X**

"I picked up plenty of stuff while I was at the Academy. That was where I created Sexy no Jutsu. And if it weren't Mizuki-sensei I never would have stolen that scroll and learned Kage Bunshin," Naruto pointed out.

**X**

Sakura's mind was spinning so wildly that she hadn't even heard her mother order her to come back. Did they really mean what she had thought or was she overreacting? _I don't even know if I'm right_, she reminded herself. _But why else? Why else-_

**X**

"Hey was that the fireworks?"

* * *

**Agent's Spiel: **Quick note (the rest can be found at the blog but this needs to be here), the Snow Country referenced here is not meant to be the same one from the movie. It's just the snowy place that Haku told them about.

Also in hopes of getting a few more of you to read the blog (I'm cruel aren't I?) I put up a question there. And I've been good lately about putting up extras in between updates talking about why I'm _not_ updating so if you want to hear me complain about why writing is hard, you should check that out.

I promise that the only reason I'm pestering people to keep it in mind is because of the random long absences I've had. I've promised myself that I'll post at least once a week there so if I suddenly disappear from there you'll know something's happened (not like death, more like no internet or computer).

**Jutsu**:

(obviously just mentioned in this chapter but I figured I'd list 'em again)

Sexy no Jutsu (exactly what it sounds like, this is pretty much the only jutsu I actually use an English name for because I _always_ spell it wrong when I try to write the Japanese word)

_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_: Shadow Clone Technique

Reviews:

_Delbi18, Kage Husha, ., evil genus, someone179, Water-Soter, Azamiko, DarkRavie, nlblake, Suki1, The 17__th__ Immortal_


	10. 2000 Years Pt 4

**Agent's Spiel:** Okay, finally the last part.

Overall, the reaction to last chapter was pretty good. Some people liked the pacing at the end some didn't so I'll keep working on it and hoping that I can make it a bit more understandable next time.

Also, this is both longer and angstier than I thought it was going to be. And yet surprisingly fun to write.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

**2000 Years**

"No wait," Naruto muttered as he noticed the empty sky. His view immediately resettled on the city as he noticed smoke, coiling up from the festival ground.

"What just happened?" Anko muttered as their ANBU shadow appeared on the roof next to her.

"Was there an accident at the fireworks stand?" Iruka muttered in concern.

"Don't they normally shoot them off from the wall?" Naruto asked. "That looks like it's in the village. And there _was_ an explosion."

"Hatake. Get Uzumaki to headquarters now. The three of you go with them. We've been breached," Yuugao stated suddenly.

"What? By who?" Naruto asked angrily.

"Don't know yet. Just go with your sensei, and stay out of sight. Those are the Hokage's orders," she told him.

"What about Sakura?"

"It's alright Naruto. You go with Kakashi and the others, and I'll go get her," Anko told him, ruffling his hair slightly in reassurance before taking off. Yuugao disappeared a moment later and Naruto was left standing with Kakashi, Iruka, and Ebisu nearly stock-still in shock.

"It's…it's them again isn't it," Naruto whispered, staring wide eyed as two more explosions rocked the village and the air over the festival grew thick with smoke. The sounds of people screaming grew steadily louder until Naruto felt as if he could make out the very words they were saying.

"We don't know that yet," Kakashi stated suddenly as he placed a hand around Naruto's upper arm. "Now we need to get you to the tower. The Daimyo and Mizukage will probably be sent there as well so we should make sure the coast is clear for them."

"But-"

"No buts. I need you to listen to me and follow my orders tonight," Kakashi interrupted sternly. "We'll find out what happened later. But if, I repeat _if_, it is the Akatsuki then our first priority is to get you out of their way, understood?"

"Right," Naruto whispered, allowing himself to be led off the Academy roof.

**X**

Sakura stumbled back up to her feet in a daze and looked around in shock. There was rubble from the explosion behind her and she could hear civilians screaming as two more explosions rocked the village. She raised a hand to the back of her neck as she felt something wet trickle down and gasped when she brought the hand back in front of her face and saw blood. Spinning around she stared in horror at the building her mother had been standing in front of.

"Mom?" she called out weakly.

"Mom! Please answer me!" she shouted stumbling back the way she had come. "No, no, **NO**!" she shouted as she tried to move some of the rubble out of the way.

"Why is this happening?" she cried to herself, pausing as the screams around her grew louder and more frantic. The few people not running away were staring up at the sky in horror and Sakura followed their gaze fearfully. She stared in shock at the large bird circling above as something was dropped from it into the village and she barely had time to cover her head and ears when another building exploded nearby.

**X**

"Hyuuga!"

Hiashi turned from his youngest daughter as Anko landed precariously on the roof next door cursing her shoes as they nearly slipped out from under her. "Where's Sakura?" she managed to shout as she took another jump and landed on the roof of the weapons shop.

"She went to find her parents," Ino answered for him as another explosion shook the building they were on.

"Get your brats out of here!" Anko shouted as she took off again wondering where Sakura's parents might have been. She skidded to a halt as her yukata managed to nearly trip her up again and she cursed her lack of weapons. Pausing for a moment, she concentrated on summoning a bit of wind chakra into her hand before using it to slice through the sides of the yukata freeing up her legs. Her heeled shoes were the next to go, abandoned in an alley in passing – she'd replace them if Shizune was torn up about them.

"If she's anything like Naruto then the only place to look is the epicenter," Anko muttered to herself heading towards the sites of the explosions. "They always know how to find trouble."

She was startled when a large toad nearly landed on top of her and stared up in surprise when she found a hand held in front of her face. "Jiraiya!"

"Did Kakashi get Naruto out of here?" Jiraiya asked her, pulling her up onto the toad.

"Yeah. Yuugao told him to. I told Naruto I'd find Sakura."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know. I was heading towards the attack to see if she was there. If she isn't I figure she's safe," Anko replied.

"Let's go then," Jiraiya stated, patting the toads head as it took off again.

"Is it Akatsuki?"

"Probably. We don't know how they got in yet. One of them's up there though," Jiraiya told her pointing to the sky.

"Shit. Is it a summon?"

"Looks too heavy to be real, probably a jutsu," Jiraiya told her.

Anko nodded and focused on the direction they were going, taking in the destruction as they went. She had counted one explosion while at the Academy and two more right after she had left. She had lost count after that; not even Orochimaru's attack had caused this much damage to the village. Konoha had _never_ been breached like this, not even the Kyuubi had managed to get this far into the village. His rampage had been cut off just after he destroyed one of the walls.

Jiraiya's toad made one final jump, landing on the last stable building it could find. "I can't get closer on the ground," it croaked at Jiraiya.

"Stay here then. If we find the girl, I'm sending her back with you," Jiraiya told it hopping off and into the streets. Anko scrambled down as well, actually cursing her abandoned shoes as she had to navigate her way around the rubble. She was shocked when a patch of pink caught her eye and she opened her mouth to shout when she saw Sakura stumble back several steps. When the younger girl slipped and fell Anko saw what had frightened her. A blond…person wearing the red and black cloak of the Akatsuki was staring straight at the younger girl smirking dangerously.

"Shit," she cursed completely forgetting about her bare feet as she flash stepped away from Jiraiya. She appeared in front of Sakura her hands already moving through seals. "Fuuton: Daitoppa no Jutsu," she shouted aiming her palms at the attacker. A blast of air took her attacker off guard and knocked him back down the street they were standing in.

"Damn woman," the attacker cursed, standing back up immediately. "Get out of my way. She's our way to the target," he shouted back up the street to Anko.

Anko glared and watched the man cautiously as he stayed where he was. There were still civilians around and she didn't want to use any more jutsu that could hurt them. She was startled when she heard a loud crack next to her. The only wall left standing on the building next to them was webbed with cracks stemming from one small spot.

"Sakura!" she turned around nervously and breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that the girl looked relatively unharmed but angry. Her small fist was bloody and resting against the wall she had just hit.

"You can't use me," Sakura bit out before she was cut off.

"Get her out of here!" Jiraiya shouted, appearing in front of them. "He'll take you to headquarters, just go. We'll take care of this guy," he ordered them. Anko paused, carefully bringing Sakura to her feet, but nodded when she noticed the other shinobi who had appeared.

"Let's go," Anko whispered, lifting Sakura into her arms when the younger girl stumbled. She quickly made her way back to the waiting toad and hopped onto his back holding Sakura closely. "Get us out of here," she ordered it, latching herself onto its back with chakra as she moved Sakura carefully. "You're bleeding. What happened?"

"I…I think I hit my head when the building exploded," Sakura answered a bit woozily.

"Okay just sit still. We'll have someone look at it. Shizune'll probably already be at headquarters anyways," Anko assured her, ripping off part of the already torn yukata and bunching it up. She felt around for just a moment before finding what seemed to be the wound on Sakura's head and held the improvised bandage on it. "We're almost there. Just stay awake, alright."

**X**

Kakashi, Naruto, Iruka, and Ebisu made it to the administration building in no time – they had only been down the street anyways. Instead of taking the long stairs up to the main part of the building, Kakashi led them back away from the street side courtyard and towards the back of the building.

Pushing his forehead protector out of the way to reveal his sharingan, he gazed into the dark for a moment before nodding and stepping up to the building. He knocked twice before opening the hidden door and quickly shuffled Naruto inside, waiting until Ebisu and Iruka had entered, and then shutting the door behind them.

"Hatake, back here."

Kakashi looked up at the shout and nodded when he saw Ibiki waiting for them. "Yuugao called ahead to tell us she was sending you here. We're waiting on the Daimyo and Mizukage as well, but you can take the kid in there," Ibiki informed them, moving aside to allow them to enter the room behind him.

Just as Kakashi ushered Naruto into the room another ANBU near Ibiki raised his hand to his ear and muttered, "The fox is in the hole."

Naruto stopped and turned to glare at the man but he wasn't allowed to say anything because Kakashi sent him stumbling into the room. Ebisu and Iruka entered quickly as well but the door was slammed before Kakashi entered. Instead, the silver haired jounin spun and pinned the ANBU to the wall. "Wrong code word," he stated, glaring.

"But that's-"

"Keep this in mind next time you're coming up with code words. The more you idiots conflate him with the Kyuubi the more you feed the idiots in this village who already see him that way. Get it through your head that no one wins when you do this, understood?"

Before the man could answer, Kakashi disappeared into the room – bringing his forehead protector back down over the sharingan - and the poor ANBU was left reeling as Ibiki coughed to cover up a laugh. "Ah the good old days are back," he muttered to himself.

"At least it wasn't that chick or Anko," the man shivered.

"Actually, you're lucky it wasn't that kid. Must've learned to glare from Uchiha. Wait out here while I get them caught up," Ibiki told him, as he finally felt capable of facing Kakashi without laughing.

"Ah hold up."

Ibiki paused for a moment to stare at the man as he once again brought his hand to his ear. "They've spotted his teammate. They'll send her here with Anko. The Mizukage and Daimyo will be here momentarily," he said.

"Right," Ibiki nodded back as he began to open the door. He paused once more as he turned to the ANBU again, saying, "If the Council shows up, keep them in another room. The Hokage won't want them here with the kid or with the Mizukage." Once he was sure the man understood, he finally entered the room immediately feeling three and half sets of eyes on him. He had to check himself when he noted that one of the pairs was nearly luminescent in the dimly lit room and quickly reached over to flick on the lights. When he looked up again, the eyes were the far more familiar blue and he shook his head in concern.

"Was it Akatsuki?" Naruto asked immediately.

"We don't-" Iruka started to answer him when Ibiki cleared his throat.

"Actually we do. It is them," he answered.

Kakashi looked up immediately, his single eye furrowed in concern as he moved back towards the door but Ibiki leaned across it blocking his exit. "Uchiha's not with them," Ibiki stated gazing at Kakashi sternly. "So far those on the scene have only contacted one member; it's not one we recognize. Mitarashi has your teammate, she'll be here soon."

"The Daimyo and Mizukage will be here soon. Obviously, the Daimyo and his family already know who you are. The Mizukage doesn't, so no one's going to say anything in front of her or her party unless they say it first," Ibiki added.

"And if they do?" Ebisu asked, glancing at Naruto in concern.

"We don't say anything until the Hokage arrives. She'll handle it if it comes to that," Ibiki answered. "And whatever you're doing, cut it out," he added a moment later turning to look straight at Naruto.

Naruto looked up at the man in confusion. "What?" he asked blinking.

"Just sit down," Ibiki ordered, glancing at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye.

"I wasn't doing anything," Naruto whined as Iruka moved to sit next to him.

Iruka looked at him in concern but nodded to calm Naruto down as he noticed the odd shape Naruto's pupils had taken. Naruto was about to continue complaining when the door opened again. A young man and woman, both dressed in the same uniform as Lian, walked into the room, glancing around before nodding and moving forward into it. The Daimyo appeared next, followed by his daughter and son-in-law.

Lady Ran smiled when she noticed Naruto and she immediately moved over to sit next to him. She paused when she noticed Iruka and looked at him curiously for a moment before she smiled again. "Are you Umino Iruka? Reiko, hasn't Anko mentioned him before?" she asked turning from Iruka to the female guard who nodded briefly before turning to stare at the wall.

"She has?" Iruka asked in confusion as Naruto began snicker.

"I told you she wasn't joking," Kakashi whispered, leaning over the back of the couch. He glanced up for a moment as the Mizukage and two of her shinobi entered but quickly turned his attention back to Naruto.

"I never thought she was," Naruto said back. "She doesn't really joke like that. She's always telling the truth," he told Kakashi.

"Is your teammate not here?" Ran asked in concern.

"I think she was with our friends, but they said Anko was bringing her," Naruto told her.

Ran nodded and turned back towards Reiko, who had been joined by the younger male guard in staring at the wall. She frowned as she watched them and finally turned back to Iruka and Kakashi to be introduced to Ebisu as her father and husband joined them.

Naruto tuned out their conversation to sneak a peek at the two guards. They were both wearing what Naruto assumed was their uniform. Long black pants and knee-high, close-toed boots. They were wearing red loose fitting tunics cinched at the waist with red, knotted belts. Barely peeking out from the under the tunics was a triangle of red cloth that he had to stare at for a moment before he realized why it looked familiar. It had the same design as the belt Asuma had been wearing earlier, but with the colors inverted; if he was remembering it correctly, Lian's had been the same as Asuma's not theirs. They also both had short, straight bladed swords strapped to their waists; although, Naruto was sure they had other weapons on them as well.

The woman, Reiko, had short light brown hair, cropped just below her ears and held out of her brown eyes by a red headband. As far as Naruto could figure, she was the same height as Anko. And she had two tattoos on her right arm; he could only see one well enough to know that it was the symbol 'Ho' for Fire, the same one that was on the cloth around her waist. The younger man, who looked unnervingly familiar, was a few inches taller than Reiko. He had long reddish-brown hair and grey eyes that briefly caught Naruto's own, causing both to turn away immediately.

It was only after he had turned back to Iruka that Naruto realized why the younger man looked familiar: he had been playing the Fourth Hokage on stage that evening. Naruto's eyes widened slightly and he turned back a bit nervously towards the two guards. It only took him a moment to picture the woman wearing the bright red headdress and costume he had watched barely two hours before whipping the cat 'o nine tails around on stage. He swallowed slightly and turned back to his sensei again, trying to catch up to the conversation. He didn't notice both guards glance his way as well before catching the Daimyo's eyes apologetically.

When Naruto decided that the conversation was boring, he turned instead to the Mist ninja. The Mizukage was an average looking woman, not nearly as small Anko or the Hokage, probably as tall as Kakashi and very fit, he could tell even with the loose robes she was wearing. She had reddish hair, wind-worn skin, and sharp grey eyes. He hadn't liked her earlier; her attitude reminded him too much of Zabuza's, in her nonchalance for the destruction she had caused. He knew it was part of their job, but that didn't mean she had to sound like she thought it was deserved. Her eyes caught his suddenly and he turned away quickly, ending his train of thought, as she sent a smirk his way.

Several minutes later the door to the room opened again and Shizune walked in. One of the ANBU followed, supporting a limping ninja. "He should stay off the leg for a bit, but he'll be fine by the time you're ready to leave," Shizune stated approaching the Mizukage.

"Thank you very much. Your reputation is very much deserved," the Mizukage replied graciously.

Shizune looked torn for a moment as if trying to decipher an insult out of the Mizukage's words – she had flung one at nearly everyone else she had met so far – and finally gave up nodding back and glancing over at Naruto, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw the blond unharmed on the couch. She was about to join him when she heard someone say her name in the hall.

"She's right in here. She just finished treating one of the Mist ninja."

Shizune moved to the open door and her eyes flew open when she saw Anko holding Sakura upright. "Something hit her head during one of the explosions. She's alright other than that," Anko spoke up when she saw Shizune.

"Bring her in here," Shizune ordered, moving aside. "Over there by the couch, sit on the floor for a moment," she added, directing Sakura and Anko.

Ran and Iruka immediately stood up to offer there seats, but Shizune waved them off. "I need her on the ground so I can look down at it," she explained, seating herself on the arm of the couch. "Kakashi can you give me more light?"

Kakashi immediately moved next to them, glancing down at the back of Sakura's head, where Anko was pressing what looked like part of her yukata, and quickly performed several seals. "Tenkukyo no Jutsu," he muttered as Anko took away 'bandage'.

He held his hand as near Sakura's scalp as he could, allowing the light crackling around it to illuminate the injury. "Oh good, it isn't deep," Shizune muttered as she moved some of Sakura's hair out of the way. As she set about healing the wound on Sakura's head, the Mizukage moved to sit down on a cot sitting against one of the walls, watching the other group curiously. Her eyes frequently landed on Naruto as he watched his teammate in concern.

Iruka ran his hand through Naruto's hair several times – amusingly noting that he could do so without getting it caught – in order to calm Naruto down. When Shizune had finished with Sakura's head, she moved her attention to the girl's hand, staring at it in amusement. "What did you do?" she asked, trying not to grin – she had healed nearly identical wounds dozens of times during Sakura's strength training.

"She punched a wall," Anko snickered.

"Did it collapse?" Shizune asked, drawing the Mizukage's stare.

"I didn't hit it _that_ hard," Sakura told her. "I just got pissed off at that guy," she muttered.

"You…you actually ran into him?" Shizune asked in concern.

"Maybe," Sakura muttered, trying not to look over at Naruto.

"What does 'maybe' mean?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, he was flying above and then he landed. But Anko and Jiraiya were already there. I just got angry with him. He demolished all those buildings and he didn't even care," Sakura told him.

"He went after you?" Ibiki asked moving closer. The Mizukage's perked up even more at his statement.

"I doubt it," Sakura answered, glaring over at the man who had spoken.

"Well I don't so answer the question," Ibiki stated.

"He just happened to run into me," Sakura answered.

"Did he recognize you?" Ibiki continued gaining glares from the other Leaf ninja in the room. He returned the glares without concern and turned back to Sakura without relenting.

"Sort of," Sakura admitted nervously. She could feel Naruto's eyes on her but she couldn't return the look.

"They're widening their targets," Ibiki muttered angrily gaining an alarmed look from Naruto. Ibiki ignored it and walked over to the door. "What's the situation outside?" he asked the ANBU still standing guard outside.

"Under control. The Hokage will be here momentarily," the man answered quickly before the door was shut again.

Ibiki turned around again and was immediately met by a steely glare from the small genin on the couch. He narrowed his eyes and was about to reprimand Naruto when Shizune stood up suddenly. "She probably has a concussion as well so I'm going to keep Sakura with me for the night. I'm going to take her over to my rooms now; tell Tsunade-sama when she arrives," she stated, drawing Sakura to her feet.

Ibiki nodded and opened the door for them as they left before turning to Kakashi. "Outside," he ordered beckoning to Kakashi.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow questioningly but walked towards Ibiki without argument.

Naruto watched a bit helplessly as first Sakura and Shizune and then Kakashi disappeared not able to shake the feeling that it was his fault. He shook his head slightly, catching Iruka's attention, and got a gentle pat on the shoulders in return.

"You know," the Mizukage spoke up, staring at Naruto. "Your Fourth Hokage was quite respected outside your village. Supposedly having resisted the temptation that so many of our neighbors foolishly fell for."

"Excuse me?" Ebisu spoke up, turning to stare at the woman.

"It's odd. In your case, it doesn't seem to have been the power play the others made it. But that only leaves weakness as the excuse."

Iruka's hand clenched slightly on Naruto's shoulder.

"Minato was many things, weak was not one of them," the Daimyo spoke up, glancing momentarily at Naruto.

"She should know that," Anko muttered, glaring at the woman.

"Then how else do you explain his leaving a child to continue his battle?" she asked.

"Minimizing his losses," the Daimyo answered drawing Naruto's wide-eyed stare his way. The older man didn't look remotely apologetic although he was sure Naruto had never heard it phrased quite that way.

"For a village that preaches peace so haughtily to use such violent means-"

"That's enough," Anko growled, grabbing Naruto's shoulder. Without another word, she wrenched him away from Iruka and pulled him out of the room, slamming the door behind her. The ANBU at the door stared at her in surprise before slinking away until he was several feet down the hall. His actions only served to aggravate Anko further and she glared down at him, turning briefly to Naruto she told him to go find Kakashi.

Naruto vaguely recognized the purple haired ANBU who pointed him to the door they had entered through and took off as Anko took a swing at the wall.

**X**

The moment they were out of the room Ibiki dragged Kakashi down the hall and back out of the tower, slamming the door behind them. "Is he losing control?"

"No," Kakashi responded.

"Do you have proof?"

"Why would I need it? It's been a rough day. His teammate was just targeted and you're acting like yourself, which to him means you're acting like an ass," Kakashi retorted.

"But he is channeling it."

"What makes you say that?"

"His eyes-"

"Nothing but instinct. There's no connection between that and the seal, just ask Jiraiya when you get the chance," Kakashi interrupted, secretly hoping Ibiki _wouldn't_ ask Jiraiya.

"Maybe you think you can pull this off with the Hokage but not with me Hatake. She has a soft spot for that kid and she won't see what she doesn't want to. I may not have a problem with him but I will not tolerate internal risks. _Is he losing it_?" Ibiki spat out.

Kakashi gently nudged his forehead protector out of the way again to give Ibiki a two-eyed glare and shook his head angrily. "That seal won't fail," he shot back. "I watched it placed on him."

"I'm not talking about the seal anymore. If it's in place great. But he _has_ channeled the Kyuubi before."

"Of course he has. He's _supposed_ to," Kakashi pointed out. "The seal allows him to use Kyuubi's chakra as a defense."

"He uses it as more than a defense."

"Only when he's up against something a normal Chuunin level kid couldn't handle. Therefore, it is still defensive."

"That's not what I've heard Kakashi."

"From who? I'm the only one who's ever reported his use of it."

"What about the Forest of Death? There were ANBU on duty there. They felt it Kakashi."

"Do you expect it to not be noticeable? What point would that serve? He was up against Orochimaru and one of his summons. That chakra is meant to frighten away opponents."

"But does he have _control_?" Ibiki spat out, getting sick of Kakashi dancing around the real topic.

"I do!"

Both men turned around to stare and Kakashi cursed himself, wondering when Naruto had arrived. "I don't lose control," Naruto repeated staring up at Kakashi.

"Kid do you have any idea what that thing actually is?" Ibiki asked.

"Well I have talked to it," Naruto responded before realizing what a bad idea that had been.

"You've what?"

All three turned again when they realized they had another audience. "Did you say you've talked to _it_?" Tsunade asked.

"Just…when I got knocked out once with Jiraiya," Naruto fumbled. "It was when I summoned Gamabunta," he added trying to recover slightly. Tsunade stared at him blankly and Naruto's shoulder sagged under the weight of her gaze. "I-"

"We'll discuss this later," Tsunade interrupted. "Why aren't you inside?"

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked up at Tsunade even more nervous than before. "The…the Mizukage…Anko sent me out," Naruto trailed off, not able to actually explain it to her.

"Why Naruto?" she asked harshly.

"She guessed about Kyuubi," Naruto admitted, looking away. "I didn't say anything. She just guessed."

"Damn it," Tsunade cursed, grabbing Naruto's arm as she pulled him inside. The three ANBU who had been with her remained silently next to Kakashi and Ibiki, staring after their forms until the door shut behind her.

Kakashi turned slowly towards Ibiki, sharingan spinning dangerously in his left eye and Ibiki quickly raised his arms defensively. "We can talk this one down," he said.

Kakashi glared at him for a moment more before ducking back into the building to go after Naruto.

"One of you go get Jiraiya," Ibiki ordered after a moment. "The rest of you, make sure you don't mention it in front of the Council. This is for the Hokage to handle."

**X**

Tsunade took a moment to glare at Anko, Yuugao, and the other ANBU still outside guarded room that the Daimyo was in before opening up the door and calling out Ebisu and Iruka. "Where're Shizune and Sakura?" she asked once the door was shut again.

"In-"

"Quiet Naruto," Tsunade hushed reflexively, turning back to Iruka.

The others in the hall were staring at her in shock but Ebisu managed to answer. "Sakura had a concussion and Shizune wanted her to stay with her for the night. They're in Shizune's rooms."

"Good. Yuugao, wait in there. I'll be back down soon to meet with the Daimyo and Mizukage. No wait, they'll be more comfortable in the office upstairs, take them up there if you would. Jiro, I want you to come with me. The rest of you, you can go," Tsunade stated.

Yuugao immediately moved but Iruka paused to glance at Naruto. Tsunade caught his hesitation and shook her head. "He'll stay here tonight, just go," she stated. "And Anko, no more training until I can find out what you've been up to," she added sending a glance Anko's way.

Anko stared at her in anger but it was Kakashi who spoke up, appearing next to the younger woman. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't care if it started out as some stupid joke but it's done for now. He learned something new, wonderful, but from now on, Jiraiya only," Tsunade replied coldly. "Now get out of here, all of you."

Kakashi looked like he was going to continue arguing but Tsunade ignored him completely; instead, she grabbed Naruto's arm again and led the way down the hall. Near the end of the hall, she veered off into a small corridor, unlocking a door she led Naruto in and paused long enough for the ANBU guard, Jiro, to slip through before locking behind them. Once that was done, she took the lead again, passing through the long corridor and up a flight of stairs that Naruto assumed were under the administration building.

After several more minutes of walking, Tsunade unlocked another door and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as she locked it behind her as well. The hall they were in this time was brighter and Naruto guessed they were near Shizune's living quarters, even though he didn't know where that was either.

Tsunade knocked on one of the doors and cracked it open when there was a soft answer from within. "Is she alright?" Tsunade asked when she caught sight of Shizune.

"I'm fine," Sakura muttered sleepily, turning towards the door.

"She'll be fine," Shizune agreed. "I just want to keep her with me to make sure."

Tsunade nodded after a moment and sighed tiredly. "Keep her here until tomorrow afternoon. Naruto will be next door. If you need me for anything, Jiro will stay here with them," she added before shutting the door again.

Once the door was shut, she turned to look at Naruto and fought the urge to curse herself. Naruto's eyes seemed twice their usual size, which only served to make his narrowed pupils stand out even more. His skin was nearly white and he was shaking even worse than he had been when he had left the grandstand that evening. "You can stay in there for tonight. I'll come see you tomorrow afternoon," she finally managed to say, pointing to the door on the left of Shizune's room. The minute she was finished, Naruto darted into the room, shutting it quickly behind him and Tsunade gritted her teeth to stop herself from hitting something – Jiro sighed in relief when she finally walked away.

"Way too many run-ins tonight," he muttered, as he leaned against the wall.

* * *

**Agent's Spiel:** Again, most of the notes are up on the 's also post up there (now a day old) about the differences between **Role of Seven **and **After the Dream**. If you have any questions, I can't guarantee answers that might contain spoilers, but I will try.

**Jutsu (bold means non-canon):**

_Shushin no Jutsu:_ (I'm still referring to this as flash stepping because I tend to use it as a verb but thanks to the awesome reviewers who reminded me what the name was – that was a pretty embarrassing omission last time)

_Fuuton: Daitoppa no Jutsu_: Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

_**Tenkukyo no Jutsu**_: Tenku – fire caused by lightning, Kyo – torch (just a lighting technique)

Reviews:

_Watchingtherain1, ., Kage Husha, DarkRavie, Lachwen, Aled, Lthayer3, apathetica, evil genus, theo darkstar, Azamiko, xxguesswhoxx, Iztiak, , someone179, Suki1, sashlea, nlblake, naturokurosaki, _

_Also, thanks to those of you commenting over at the blog._


	11. When You're Sleeping Pt 1

**Agent's Spiel:** And now, we can actually start a new chapter.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

**When You're Sleeping**

Sakura woke with a pounding ache in her head. It took several minutes for her to remember where she was until she spotted Shizune sleeping on a couch against one of the walls.

Sighing as she remembered the previous evening, Sakura glanced out the window at the village and was surprised by how quiet it looked. The fires had been put out and the smoke had cleared. Most of the festival lamps were gone as well and in their place were a number of large spotlights. Cleanup, she reminded herself. They would probably be put out soon when the sun came up.

As quietly as possible, Sakura slipped from the bed trying to remember which room Tsunade had said Naruto would be in. She crept to the door and cracked it open, glancing back at Shizune once before slipping out. She froze when she saw the masked ANBU staring at her but he only shook his head and pointed to the door on her right. "Be quick and then go back to bed," he whispered.

Sakura nodded and did as he said, creeping into the room and shutting the door behind her. She was surprised to find Naruto still awake, staring out the window as well. He looked like he had been there all night. She crept up onto the bed and sat down a bit nervously, rubbing at the bandage Shizune had put on her head for no reason that Sakura could come up with. When not even that got Naruto's attention, she spoke up. "Hey, are you alright?" she whispered.

Naruto whirled around so quickly that Sakura actually flinched back, which only made Naruto flinch in response. "Sorry," she whispered. "You didn't hear me come in," she explained.

"Why are you up?"

"I just…um…they're after _you_ aren't they," she finally said, deciding not to delay. "First that guy on the beach with Sasuke's brother, and the one who was here yesterday. Have they attacked you before?"

Naruto flinched again and began fiddling uncomfortably with the sleeves of his yukata. He looked like he wanted to disappear and Sakura bit at her lip. "Please?" she asked.

"Once," Naruto finally answered. "Right after I left with Jiraiya. They had attacked Kakashi-sensei and then…Sasuke came after us when he heard about his brother. I thought Itachi was going to kill him, but Jiraiya showed up. He stopped them."

Sakura could remember all to well the condition Sasuke had been in when Gai had brought him back from that encounter. "You're like that woman and Gaara aren't you? Except not really," she muttered. "I didn't realize it right away. But that _is_ what that performer was supposed to be holding. And your birthday matches up with it. That's why you didn't want to go yesterday and why you looked so scared when you realized what they had done in the performance. Because they reminded the villagers. I never really noticed before, but are people always like that around you? Do they say it _to_ you or just behind your back?" she rambled.

Finally catching herself, she shook her head and looked up at Naruto. He wasn't looking at her. In fact, he seemed to be looking anywhere but at her, she realized after a moment. "They do say it _to_ you then," she whispered, whimpering slightly. "How _could_ they?" she hissed.

_That_ got Naruto's attention. "What?"

"How can they do that to you? You're just _you_. It's not your fault," she whimpered.

"They don't see it that way," Naruto answered, chewing at his lip. "I didn't realize it when I was little. I just figured they thought I was annoying. But it made a lot more sense after Mizuki-sensei told me. I don't know; I used to figure if I just stayed out of their way and acted useful that things would get better."

"Used to?"

"I don't think that'll work anymore," Naruto admitted. "But I can still stay out of their way. I have better things to do anyways."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak but Naruto continued, "You should probably get back. Shizune nee-chan will be worried if she wakes up and you aren't there."

Rather than arguing, Sakura nodded and crawled off the bed, she paused just once to say, "You know not to listen to them, right?"

Naruto grinned in response but it wasn't until she was sneaking back into bed that Sakura realized his grin could have meant anything.

**XXXXXX**

**XXXXXX**

"What's the news?" Tsunade asked wearily as Yuugao appeared in front of her the next morning.

"Hokage-sama, have you slept yet?" Yuugao asked warily.

"No, I was at the hospital until two hours ago. Just tell me what you found," Tsunade stated.

"They were both found right where Jiraiya suggested we look," Yuugao admitted. "Should I get Kakashi?"

"Why would you get him?" Tsunade asked.

"I just thought…never mind. Is there anything else?" Yuugao asked.

"No you can go," Tsunade sighed, turning in her chair to face the window. She squinted uncomfortably when the sunlight hit her eyes and brought both of her hands up to her face, covering her eyes with the heels of her hands.

"Are you going to tell me what happened yet?" Jiraiya stated suddenly.

Tsunade spun around and took a deep breath as Jiraiya snorted at her behavior. "Did you actually forget I was sitting here?" he asked.

"Possibly," she admitted. "What did you want again?"

"I wanted to know why the hell one of Ibiki's kids came and got me to tell me there was a problem with Naruto last night," Jiraiya reminded her.

"Those kids are in their twenties and thirties," Tsunade muttered. "Don't make me feel even older by calling them kids."

"As Naruto would say, 'you are old'. Now what'd did he do?"

"He…he didn't do anything. I just came across Ibiki and Kakashi arguing in front of him and I overreacted. He's probably going to avoid me for the next month because of it," Tsunade admitted. "I also need to find Anko and apologize because I told her last night that she couldn't train him anymore."

"Well what next then?"

"I'm sending Kakashi and Anko back to the capital with the Daimyo. Kakashi's under strict orders not to return until Rin's with him – hopefully he won't misconstrue that and just stay there until he feels like dealing with me again," Tsunade paused when Jiraiya snorted. "Okay hopefully they won't stay away longer than a week," she corrected, having little doubt that Kakashi and Anko _would_ do just that after her behavior the previous night.

"You're not sending them now, are you?" Jiraiya asked.

"No. I'll speak with the Daimyo and ask him to stay for a few more days. That way Kakashi can be here for the funeral. I don't know what to do with Naruto. I don't think he'll listen to me yet after last night. Just…just keep an eye on him. Don't let him stay outside the village without you. If you think he needs it, I'll assign ANBU to keep an eye on him as well but I'd rather not do that yet; if it got out, I think it would be misunderstood. Repairs have to be handled. I need to increase the number of shinobi on the walls and the gates. All of that means taking fewer missions. And the Council is going to raise hell when they learn about that."

"You know we don't need to be here anymore," Jiraiya spoke up.

"You are not leaving," Tsunade stated firmly. "No way in hell are you taking him out of the village after this. If you did that they'd either hit here again anyways or they'd come after you. If they came after you, we'd be dealing with collateral damage in the form of Fire Country citizens. I'm hoping that when Rin returns she'll be willing to tell me something about her contacts. If we're lucky, she'll be able to pull them away to give us more time. Just keep him working."

"What did you misunderstand?" Jiraiya asked, deciding to try his luck again.

"Not right now," Tsunade muttered. "I'll explain it later. I _will_. But not right now. It isn't urgent and I don't want to chance you bringing it up with Naruto while he's still angry at _me_. I need him speaking to one of us."

"Anything else then?"

"See if you can find Kakashi for me. I shouldn't have sent Yuugao away like that because I do need to speak with him. And then come back here. I'll have Naruto with me," Tsunade told him, standing up from behind her desk. "I need to go speak with Sakura but we'll back here soon."

Jiraiya nodded and followed her out of her office before splitting up, Jiraiya heading towards the exit and Tsunade grudgingly heading towards her quarters. She sighed thankfully when she left the busy hallway behind and stepped into the private floors below her offices. Down two more flights of stairs she entered the hall where she had left Naruto the night before, already dreading seeing him face to face.

Tsunade looked up in surprise when she saw Jiro still standing in the hall, having completely forgotten about the young ANBU she had left there the night before, she quickly nodded to him, saying, "You can go. I'll make sure your commanders know not to expect you today."

Jiro nodded in thanks and took off down the hall, leaving Tsunade alone in the silence. She took another breath to prepare herself and moved down the hall to Shizune's room. Cracking the door open and peeking inside, she was surprised to see both awake and changed out of their festival yukata from the night before – she had no idea where Sakura's clothing had come from.

"Have you been up all night?" Sakura asked, drawing Tsunade's attention back to her.

Tsunade smiled weakly and nodded before moving to sit in front of them. "Have you eaten yet?" she asked.

"I got us breakfast when I went to get them a change of clothes," Shizune answered.

"Right then," Tsunade sighed looking at Sakura nervously.

"They're dead, aren't they? My parents I mean," Sakura managed to ask before Tsunade could continue.

"Yes. When Jiraiya said you were found near the first explosion I had Yuugao keep an eye out on the civilian casualties brought in from that area. Your parents were found last night. They didn't pass through the hospital, which means they were probably killed early on," Tsunade explained, almost relieved that she hadn't had to break it to the girl unprepared.

"I tried to find them last night but I couldn't," Sakura whispered.

Tsunade sighed and lifted her hand to rub at her eyes. She slid her hand down her face until the heel of her hand was against her lips and drummed her fingers a bit against her jaw line as she tried to decide what to do next. "Why don't I stay here with her for a bit and you can take care of what you need to? I assume both she and Naruto should stay here for the next few days anyways and I can help Sakura with the arrangements," Shizune offered.

Tsunade nodded when Sakura looked up at her hopefully. "If you're going to be alright here, I need to speak with Naruto. Is there anything you need right now?" Tsunade asked, wondering if she should be concerned with how calmly Sakura was taking the news – even if she had already guessed as much.

"Can you let me tell Naruto? He'll blame himself," Sakura whispered. Tsunade looked at her surprise, but Sakura's responding look pleaded with her to give her as much.

"If you want to," Tsunade finally answered, deciding to put off her talk with Naruto until after the funeral. Sakura was far more correct than she probably knew; Naruto would probably be a mess with guilt over the next few days. "But not until this afternoon. I want you to continue resting, so take it easy for the next few hours."

Sakura nodded her head a bit as Shizune moved to sit next to her and nodded up to Tsunade as she moved back to the door. "I'll be back later this afternoon to check on you again," Tsunade said as she exited the room.

She moved to the one next door and paused to collect herself. She had little doubt that any meeting with Naruto would not go as smoothly as the one with Sakura. When she finally opened the door, she found Naruto standing in front of the window. He had only moved long enough to change out of his yukata when Shizune had brought him a change of clothes that morning. Tsunade sighed and Naruto turned quickly, glancing away when he saw who it was.

Naruto had recovered some, but not all, of his color and he looked far calmer, though not any more rested. His eyes were still downcast but if she could have seen them, Tsunade would have found them back to normal at least. She was grateful that Shizune had had the foresight to grab the dark blue jumpsuit Jiraiya had bought for Naruto so that he wouldn't stand out when he went back out into the village.

"Did you eat with Shizune and Sakura?" she finally asked.

Naruto shook his head and muttered something that sounded like, "Not hungry."

"Of course you wouldn't be hungry after not eating at all yesterday either," Tsunade retorted, as she remembered that she had forgotten to send anything up for him the night before – she doubted he had eaten after training either if Sakura and the others had gotten their hands on him earlier enough in the afternoon.

Unfortunately, Naruto didn't seem to catch that Tsunade was angry with herself and he flinched away. "Jiraiya's out looking for Kakashi right now, so we'll head up there to wait for them. After that you can go with Jiraiya as long as you come back here this evening," she continued, not noticing Naruto's flinch. "Are you ready to go?" she asked gaining a curt nod in response as he moved to follow her out of the room.

"I need to stop by the guest quarters to speak with the Daimyo and then we'll head to my office," she explained as she led him back to the stairs. Naruto remained quiet on the ascent but he stilled nervously when they exited the stairwell and noticed two Mist ninja in the hallway as well. Tsunade reached back and took hold of his shoulder, leading him past the Mizukage's quarters to the very end of the hall, and knocking on a door.

A moment later, the young man from the night before opened it and beckoned them in. "Wait here," Tsunade whispered, as they stepped inside. Naruto paused and shifted nervously when the young man leaned against the wall on the other side of the door.

"I'm sorry for coming so early but I wanted to catch you before you left," Tsunade explained, stepping forward and nodding in greeting to the Daimyo and his daughter.

"It's no problem at all," the Daimyo assured her as his daughter leaned over slightly to wave at Naruto.

"I was wondering if I could convince you to stay for several more days. We would feel much more secure if you would let several shinobi accompany you back to the capital, and I had intended to use Kakashi for the mission but he's needed here for the next few days. If you could wait until he's free to go-"

Tsunade was cut off when the Daimyo nodded. "Of course we can wait," he assured her, pausing to glance at Naruto before continuing, "Perhaps you would prefer to discuss this later; however, I was wondering if there was any news on casualties," he said.

"We don't have a final count just yet," Tsunade answered, shaking her head. "I'll have a better count this afternoon. If you can wait, I'll meet with you then."

The Daimyo nodded and stood bidding Tsunade farewell, "Until then. I won't withhold you from your business."

"I'll send someone for you when I know more. I'd like to continue our conversation from yesterday evening as well," Tsunade told him, nodding once as she walked back to the door.

"Ah, just a moment Hokage-sama," Lady Ran spoke up suddenly, jumping to her feet. "Can you go get the cloak Kano?" she asked moving towards Naruto. "I didn't know we'd be seeing you so soon so I didn't think to have it ready," she explained as Kano walked towards one of the side rooms. He reappeared a moment later and handled a wrapped bundle to Ran.

"Considering the events of last night, I think, despite her best intentions, my mother's plan was ill-timed," Ran explained, walking over to Naruto. "I know this won't mean much, but consider it a bit of an apology. I think the woman who made it would be very happy to see it with you," she promised, handing the package to Naruto. "I'm sure you and Sakura will be very busy with training and such over the next few days, but I hope if you have a spare moment you'll stop by and visit again," she added, waving as Tsunade nodded again and led Naruto out of the door.

"Uh, thanks," Naruto called back just before the door was shut again. He turned to continue and bumped into Tsunade's back. Peeking around her, he saw two ninja standing with the Mist Nin outside the Mizukage's door. Squinting to get a better look, he noticed the leaf symbols on their forehead protectors and looked up at Tsunade curiously.

"Damn them," Tsunade gritted out as she reached behind her for Naruto's arm and started walking again.

The two leaf ninja looked up and grimaced when they saw the Hokage approaching. "I didn't send you here. Leave," she ordered them. The two men glanced at each other before turning and doing as they were told. Tsunade spared a glance at the Mizukage's guards before continuing on as well.

The moment they had reached her office, Tsunade walked to her desk. Although Naruto couldn't see what she had done once she reached it, a man wearing an ANBU masked appeared almost instantly. "Have a few guards rotate in the guest quarters for the rest of the day. I don't want anyone getting in there with a message from the Council," she ordered. The man nodded once and disappeared again. "Damn those old jackasses," she hissed before glancing up at Naruto. She had expected some sort of retort for calling the Council members old, but the blond was simply standing where she had dropped his arm, gazing nervously at the wall.

When he remained silent, Tsunade sighed and tried to calm him down by asking, "What did Lady Ran give you?"

Naruto looked up at her and then down at the package he had been carrying since they had left the Daimyo's quarters. He unwrapped it quickly, dropping the wrappings as he unfurled the cloak that had been inside them. Both Naruto and Tsunade recognized it as the one the performer had been wearing the night before.

Naruto was still staring it, as if not knowing how to take the gift when Tsunade spoke up again. "That's very good replica if I'm remembering correctly," she admitted. "I wasn't around much while he was Hokage, probably only here twice, but he hated wearing the full robes. I never learned where it came from, but someone must have given it to him as a compromise of sorts. Kakashi could probably tell you more," she offered. "Anyways, if you and Sakura go visit the Lord Shijimi or his daughter, just ignore the Mizukage. She'll probably be leaving this afternoon, and I'll warn you if she isn't, but don't let her give you any trouble. My guess is she had already heard from either the Raikage or Orochimaru if she managed to figure it out. That performance last night was _not_ enough to let someone figure it out."

"It…it let Sakura figure it out," Naruto admitted. "She told me this morning."

"What?" Tsunade bit her tongue to keep from cursing. Wondering suddenly if it really was a good idea to let Sakura tell him about her parents. The girl had sounded sincere in her concern, she reminded herself after a moment. And hopefully Naruto would be more likely to believe his friend when she told him that it wasn't his fault. She wasn't sure he would see it as anything other than patronizing if she tried it herself. "What did she say to you?" she finally asked.

"She just said…she noticed the performer holding something and she remembered my birthday. I don't, I don't get how she put it together, but she did. She remembered the jinchuriki from Kumogakure and…I don't really know. She just, it sounded like she didn't care," he answered.

Tsunade took a deep breath and wondered if she would have to deal with the rest of the rookies having the same revelations, especially the Aburame boy who had taken the exam with them.

She was still mulling over how to handle the new situation when Jiraiya and Kakashi entered the office. The latter was not remotely pleased to be in front of her and it was the feel of his glare that snapped Tsunade out of her thoughts. She glanced up and waved Jiraiya closer for a moment. "If you could take Naruto and keep him busy training for the afternoon, I'd appreciate it. Go up to the mountain facilities though so you're still in the village. Don't mention Sakura's parents; she wants to tell him herself," she whispered, gaining a quick nod in return as Jiraiya turned to leave again.

"And Naruto, if you leave that here, I'll send it down to the room you're using. Just make sure to be back this evening," she said, waving Jiraiya and Naruto out of the room.

Naruto avoided Kakashi's eye as he picked up the discarded wrappings and placed them and the cloak on Tsunade's desk before heading out with Jiraiya. Once the door was closed, Tsunade pointed to the chair in front of her desk. "Sit down, don't argue with me and listen closely," she ordered.

Kakashi grudgingly turned from the door that he had watched Naruto leave through, and dropped into the chair across from Tsunade. "We're both going to forget about last evening. I'm going to trust that you know what's going on with Naruto for now. Despite my problems with your behavior, you've done well enough with him and the Kyuubi in the past and I can't risk isolating him from me further. In return, later this week you, Anko and another shinobi will accompany the Daimyo and his family back to Hifukidake. If Rin isn't there, then you will travel to the next place you are most likely to find her until you _do_ find her and you're going to come back here with her," she started.

"I'm not going to cause trouble, but what happened last night was not the mild harassment she warned me of. That would have been dangerous enough for Naruto personally; this is worse. This was incitement and it doesn't fit the profile she described. I need to know where she's getting her information from. And you two are going to tell me what is going on. You've had two run-ins with Uchiha Itachi so far. Last night, according to Ibiki, you were very willing to make it three. That strikes me as suicidal considering how the first one went. If you aren't suicidal, then you aren't telling me something very important. I've given you enough time to collect yourself but I can't wait any longer," she finished.

"And Anko?" Kakashi asked.

"What about her? She's going with you for now. When she returns, depending on who has the time, either Jiraiya or I will supervise one of their training sessions. As long as nothing strikes us as being problematic, then I have no problem letting them continue," Tsunade told him. "What gave you the idea to use her anyways? If this really is meant to incite the Council, I'll have to stop it. Neither of them needs that trouble right now."

"Neither of them? What does the Council want with Anko now?" Kakashi asked.

"From the sounds of things, the same thing as always. Even more so now that Orochimaru is active again. Is this meant to incite them, Kakashi? The Daimyo seemed to think so."

"No. I don't know what the Daimyo said to you but if he was referring to the Third's actions, I had nothing to do with that. When the Third was assigning teams, he was having trouble convincing them to let me take Team 7. From what I understand, he had them wavering after he mentioned the Sharingan and training Sasuke, so he tried suggesting other sensei that he knew would be more undesirable; Anko was one of them. I just wanted Naruto to start extra training to fill in his time when he wasn't with Jiraiya. I thought he would find elemental jutsu interesting and when he tested positive for wind chakra, I decided Anko was the best choice since Asuma's busy," Kakashi answered.

Tsunade had no idea if he was being honest, but it sounded plausible enough that she decided to let it slide. "Fine. This is going to be a very busy week," she finally continued. "I don't have a full count yet, but the last numbers I heard at the hospital put the death toll at nearly fifty, most of those are civilians. Among them were Sakura's parents," she told him. "Sakura's downstairs with Shizune and I want her to stay here until at least the funeral. After that, she can decide, but she's welcome to remain. I've asked the Daimyo to delay his return so that you can at least be here for the funeral as well. Naruto will stay here until at least then, but I need you to check his apartment before he's allowed to return home. I don't think the civilians here will try something, but we now have two potential enemy states that know his identity and could take advantage of a supposed opening."

"Only two?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm not counting Orochimaru. He's not going to try anything yet," Tsunade stated.

"He sent a team after them in Kumogakure," Kakashi reminded her.

"He sent a group of genin into the same exam with supposed orders to take them out. Considering how easy it was to handle them, I'm guessing that was a test. Learn a few more of their moves, test his own genin, have something to feed Uchiha. That wasn't assassination. He has his toy for now; Naruto was never his target, just a nuisance."

Kakashi paused for a moment as he stood to leave but finally nodded in agreement. "Check in with my students, make sure no one bothers Naruto, then bring Rin here to be interrogated. You don't ask for much do you," he grumbled.

"Would you rather I call in Ibiki and continue the conversation from last night?" Tsunade asked, standing as well.

"My answer from last night stands. I saw the seal performed. It's working just as it's supposed to," Kakashi retorted.

"Including allowing a child to communicate with the demon?" Kakashi hesitated and Tsunade frowned. "You didn't know about that, did you? Do you really think we need something like that getting back to the Council?"

"It wasn't one of the side-effects mentioned. But I don't think it's anything to be concerned about," Kakashi finally answered. "Naruto's smart enough to come to us if something goes wrong."

"I can only hope you're right," Tsunade told him, waving in dismissal. "Take this with you. Naruto's room is on the second floor. Fourth door in the hall, leave it there for him."

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**Agent's Spiel:** Notes are up on the blog again.

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	12. When You're Sleeping Pt 2

**Agent's Spiel: **Sadly, by the time I got to this my enthusiasm for writing drama had kinda faded away for a bit. It's not a horrible update, but I do think it shows that I didn't feel like writing most of it.

Also, this segment is kinda short. Next update will probably be longer.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

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**When You're Sleeping**

When Naruto returned from training that evening, he was grumpy and starving. Jiraiya had brought him back when some random Chuunin arrived to tell him he was expected to have dinner with the Daimyo. He barely heard Tsunade's advice about talking to Sakura and went straight to his assigned room instead. He had figured that with Jiraiya avoiding the village like a plague, he would have been able to go without seeing any particularly daunting stares, but upon their return to the tower he had been regularly met with a mixture of nervous and/or pitying looks. He didn't understand any of them but it had put him in a bad mood and he was not up to seeing Sakura until he calmed down.

Of course, when he opened the door to find Kakashi waiting for him it wasn't much better.

"The Daimyo has requested that you and Sakura join them for dinner this evening along with Shizune, Tsunade, and Sakura" Kakashi started off. "Lucky for you, Tsunade-sama told them that you were going to be tired from training so you don't have to go today at least," he finished light heartedly. When Naruto only glared up at him, Kakashi sighed and motioned for Naruto to take a seat on the bed.

"About last night," he started, once Naruto was seated.

"Can we not talk about it?" Naruto pleaded.

"No. I'm sorry, but I want to get this taken care of now before I'm gone again. You don't have tell me anything you aren't comfortable talking about but what happened yesterday worries me a bit more than I let on," Kakashi admitted.

When Naruto only nodded in response, Kakashi continued, "It's been a rough a few months for you. Ever since you first tapped into Kyuubi's chakra in Wave Country, you've been struggling to deal with it and you've done remarkably well. You can't be afraid of using its chakra but you also can't rely on it like you have been. That's why I asked Anko to start training you."

"We've already talked about the healing factor and that still stands. You know what it can do for you but you shouldn't use that knowledge just to take more hits. Also, while the elders were wrong to withhold your promotion – especially since that had nothing to do with your actions – you shouldn't rely on having an abnormal amount of chakra on top of having a backup store," he added.

"I thought this was about last night," Naruto muttered uncomfortably, shifting nervously on the bed.

"We'll get to that," Kakashi said. "But do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes. But the jutsu work," Naruto pointed out.

"Of course they do. But you still don't have the chakra control to use them the way you are. And unfortunately, Anko isn't the best person to work with to fix that. She has the same problem you do as far chakra stores go, even if it isn't as obvious. The seal nearly did to her what the Kyuubi's doing to you. She's learned not to use it and her seal has remained safely blocked for years now. Hopefully, you'll get to the point where you won't draw from the Kyuubi's chakra to do what your own chakra can do. It shouldn't be a back up instead of a complement," he said.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that the Kyuubi's chakra is capable of more than your own chakra. The healing factor is just part of that. But I think you would be better off not even experimenting with it for now."

"Is…is what happened last night part of it? I didn't do that on purpose," Naruto admitted.

"Sort of. The eyes…I've seen you do that before. It's seemed to be an early sign that you're tapping into Kyuubi's chakra…now I'm not so sure of that," Kakashi said. "You were on edge last night. I thought you might have been subtly drawing on its chakra in case something went wrong. The preemptive use of its chakra didn't make much sense at the time, until you said you've talked to it. I need you to answer as many of my questions as you can."

Naruto fidgeted uncontrollably as Kakashi trailed off and he tried to avoid his sensei's eye by turning to look out the window.

"Naruto, the more you let us help you, the easier it's going to be to make it through this."

"How? How is anything going to make it easier. They're attacking us. They went after Sakura last night. It isn't about how I use the Kyuubi. Just the fact that he's here is enough for them," Naruto replied a bit angrily.

Kakashi sighed and reached into his flak jacket to pull out a small hand mirror. Holding it in front of Naruto's face, he watched as the blond flinched away suddenly. "This is what I'm talking about Naruto," Kakashi stated as he put the mirror away. "You aren't doing it on purpose. That means either it's subconscious on your part, or for some reason, the Kyuubi is doing it."

"What does that mean?"

"If you're doing it subconsciously, then I don't know what it means. It may just be that having used Kyuubi's chakra enough, you're taking on a few subtle traits of his when you feel threatened. That probably isn't a problem though we should keep an eye on it. On the other hand, if it's Kyuubi doing this, we should probably be concerned," Kakashi finished, surprisingly nonchalantly.

"How do we tell the difference?"

"I don't know. But we'll try to find out. For starters, do you have an idea for how many times you've spoken to it?" Kakashi asked.

"I haven't really kept track. Maybe a handful," Naruto offered.

"Good. Is it only when you're unconscious?"

Naruto paused for a moment and his brows furrowed. "I…I'm not sure I'm completely out. But it's not like I can talk to him when I'm awake like I am now. I have to concentrate really hard. And then I'm not here anymore. It's like a sewer, and I follow one of the halls towards this big room. Kyuubi's behind a set a gates," Naruto explained.

Kakashi's brow furrowed in response. "So you go in after him?" he asked.

"That's how I got him to lend me his chakra a few times. I haven't needed to lately. Normally I'd remind him that if I die, he dies to, and eventually he'd let me use his chakra. Does that help?"

"Not really," Kakashi admitted. "It does suggest that this is just subconscious, but it's not enough to know for sure. Try to keep an eye on yourself for the next few weeks. Things like dreams maybe. Irrational urges, too. That's the best I can give you for now. At the end of the week, after the Haruno's funeral, I'm going back to the capital with the Daimyo. Then I need to get Rin. I'll talk it over with her," Kakashi assure him.

"Funeral?" Naruto asked, staring up at Kakashi, wide-eyed with shock.

Kakashi returned the look for a moment before his brow furrowed again. "You didn't know?"

Naruto shook his head and Kakashi noticed that his eyes were slitted again. "Tsunade didn't say anything. Neither did Jiraiya," Naruto finally answered. "Is Sakura-chan okay?"

"Today's been a bad day. It probably slipped her mind. And I saw Sakura this afternoon. She knew last night already."

"But…I talked to her this morning. Why wouldn't she tell me?" Naruto asked.

"Because you were on edge?" Kakashi offered. "Ask her about it tonight when she get's back from dinner with the Daimyo."

Naruto looked like he really didn't want to wait that long but he finally nodded. "Until then, where'd that come from?" Kakashi asked, pointing to the cloak that he had dropped off earlier in the day.

"Lady Ran. She said it was gift to make up for me being uncomfortable with the performance," Naruto said.

"It's accurate," Kakashi told him, picking the cloak up to look at it again – not that he hadn't already spent an hour staring at it while he waited for Naruto to arrive, it was actually a bit too accurate for his taste, identical would probably be a better word. "He found the robes too burdensome so his cousin made it for him. I wonder if she made this one too." Kakashi trailed off when he noticed Naruto looking even more guilty and uncomfortable and decided to just drop the conversation entirely.

"Well, Tsunade told me that once Anko and I return from the capital either she or Jiraiya will watch one of your training sessions with Anko. After that, she'll decide whether or not you can continue them but I don't think it will be a problem. Until then, keep working on what Anko's taught you. Your wind jutsu have come pretty far if that one you pulled on Asuma was anything to go by. The body flicker was executed well too."

When Naruto continued to ignore him in favor of staring out the window, Kakashi sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Sakura will probably be back from dinner in an hour or so. Do you want me to stay until then?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head without turning to look at Kakashi. "I'll head out then. Take it easy for the next couple of days if you can. And – I know you won't really listen to this – but try not to worry about Akatsuki for now. I'll talk to Rin about this. We'll figure out why they're doing it and we'll stop them, I promise," he finished, reaching over to ruffle Naruto's hair – the only comforting gesture he really knew. When not even that got a glance from the blond, Kakashi left.

Alone in the room, Naruto slumped back onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. His stomach was twisting in on itself uncomfortably but he wasn't sure if it was because he was hungry – which he definitely was – or if it was because of everything else going on. As his stomach started squirming even worse, Naruto curled over onto his side and clenched his eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain and assuring himself that he'd remember to eat tomorrow before training for over ten hours like he had that day.

Barely half an hour later, Naruto had just started to doze off when he heard the door to his room slam open. He twisted off the bed, landing in a defensive crouch, but relaxed a bit when he saw that it was just Sakura at the door. "What is it?" he asked in concern when he noticed the angry frown on her face.

Sakura just stared at him for a moment before shutting the door and walking over to take a seat on the bed. "Jiraiya-sama got into an argument with the Daimyo," she finally explained. "I don't want to talk about it right now, but I think the Daimyo is leaving tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? I thought he had agreed to stay. Is Kakashi-sensei at least staying so that he can go to the funeral?"

"Funeral?" Sakura repeated in surprise. "Wait he told you already? I'm sorry I didn't know for sure until Tsunade-shishou came and spoke to me this morning. I wanted her to let me tell you."

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked nervously.

Sakura sighed and her shoulders sagged as she frowned at him. "No," she finally admitted. "I…after you and Kakashi-sensei left, I stayed with Ino and the others for a bit. Then…it finally clicked, that you were a jinchuriki. I…left to try and find you, but no one knew where you had gone so I gave up and went to find my parents. I was so angry at my mom and her friends that I just stormed away. I wasn't even a block away when the first explosion happened and I was hurt and I couldn't get through to help them. I just blanked about it until Tsunade-shishou told me this morning."

Naruto remained silent as Sakura's ramblings trailed off, but when she didn't start up again he allowed what she had said to sink in. "Why were you angry?" he asked in confusion.

"I…it was just everything. The reason that you hadn't wanted to go to the festival and the way they were talking about you when they learned you were with me in the top box. I was furious with them and didn't want to be around them so I left again. I was going to go back to Ino and the others."

"It's not-"

"Don't tell me it's not _their_ fault. They should have known already that it wasn't _yours_. It still isn't. I don't care what anyone else says to you but this wasn't your fault. You didn't really answer me this morning. You _do_ know not to listen to those people, right?"

"About your parents-"

"Don't change the subject Naruto," Sakura stated firmly. "I can't deal with that right now. I want to deal with this."

Naruto sighed and sat down near the head of the bed, crossing his legs and looking away uncomfortably. "Knowing not to listen and doing it are two different things," he admitted, not meeting her eyes. "I got better at it for a while. But it's really hard not to listen when you agree."

"How could you agree with them? The crap that they say. Those people are happy you weren't promoted. You deserved it even more than Shino and I did; I almost turned my flak jacket back in when Inuzuka-san told us what happened. All you did was go on training like it didn't matter but they're holding you back on purpose just to get Tsunade-shishou angry. You don't deserve this."

"I know that," Naruto said finally looking up at her again. "It isn't about what I deserve. It's about them. They don't hate me because of me. They hate me because it makes it easier for them. They aren't even thinking about _me_."

"But why do you agree with them? Just because they're taking the easy way-"

"It's not like that. It doesn't help me to hate them back so I just train instead. But…after Sasuke left, that was my fault. I couldn't stop him and he hurt you and I couldn't stop that either. They know it's my fault."

"It wasn't your fault!" Sakura insisted. "That was Sasuke and that stupid Orochimaru's fault. Even his brother's. But it wasn't our fault. And it's worse than that. They _have_ turned it against you and not just because of the Kyuubi. That's dangerous," she said. "What if those men come back? What if people won't help you? Or worse, what if they help them instead? What is Tsunade-shishou doing about it?"

"I…she's probably doing what she needs to," Naruto answered, swallowing nervously.

"What does that mean?" Sakura whimpered, scooting closer so that Naruto would have more trouble avoiding her eyes.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"How can you not know? Hasn't she talked to you about this at all? They can't leave you in the dark. They're already doing that about everything else and…" Sakura trailed off realizing her mistake and quickly moved to change the subject. "I don't like it is all," she muttered.

"When I was talking to mom, just mentioning you was bad enough. I don't know how I never noticed it before. It's malicious. They don't want you to be happy. They don't even want you to be a shinobi, even after everything you've done. They do it on purpose. They have to or they would have stopped by now," she said. "I'm really scared of what they'll do to you."

Naruto stared at Sakura as she started to get worked up again but he had no idea what to say in response. "I…I didn't actually know that," he said. "Maybe, it was more personal to your parents because you had to be on my team. No wait, I didn't mean it like that," he added wincing when he realized what he had said about her parents.

"But it's true," Sakura said suddenly, stiffening as she moved away from Naruto. "I have to go," she muttered as she moved back to the door.

Naruto sat stiffly as the door closed behind her until what had just happened sank in. When it finally had, he slapped himself in the face twice before slouching down against the headboard and crossing his arms across his chest as he berated himself and tried to decide whether or not to go after his teammate.

By the time Jiraiya creaked open the door an hour later looking to take Naruto for dinner, he found the blond curled up asleep still above the covers and in his regular clothes. Deciding not to wake him, Jiraiya simply pulled one of the blankets over Naruto's shoulders and left a note about where to meet him for training the next morning before heading back up to Tsunade's office.

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**Agent's Spiel:** Notes up at the blog.

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	13. When You're Sleeping Pt 3

**Agent's Spiel:** Quick note before you head into the chapter. **No Good Deed** finally got an update. Next one won't be til like Chapter 12 or something here (by my numbering, not this site's).

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

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**When You're Sleeping**

Inuzuka Hana fought the urge not to fidget with her flak vest as she walked down the well to do street with her mother, Hatake Kakashi, and Mitarashi Anko. Compared to some of the citizens taking early morning strolls on the street, she felt like a beggar in her travel worn uniform. Of course Anko was nearly preening in her non-uniform, but Hana had the feeling that Anko could have comfortably gone nude in front of the Daimyo's party so of course she wouldn't feel under dressed. Kakashi and her mother looked unconcerned as well; she fought to mimic their blank faces as well as she could. She doubted she was succeeding as two of their dogs, including her own Kokushi, were nudging her hand comfortingly.

"Which estate is it?" Inuzuka Tsume asked when they were about half way down the street. Her dogs and her daughter were growing restless and they were catching attention if the movement of curtains was anything to go by.

"Just three more down," Kakashi said.

"Will Rin be there?"

"I don't know. If she's in town, she will be. Otherwise, we would have heard something at the palace. If she's not, they'll probably know where she is. The Hokage didn't need to send you with us so you could always just head back," he offered.

"She wants to make sure you don't delay," Hana said, trying not to sigh as yet another set of curtains ruffled allowing a house's inhabitants to peer out at them. "And why do they keep doing that? Is it that odd for ninja to be down this way?"

"It is when that ninja is someone other than me or isn't accompanied by someone from one of the households," Kakashi said.

"We wouldn't delay now anyways. We left Naruto and Sakura before the funeral and before they moved back out of the tower. We can't leave them for long," Anko added.

"So nice of you to admit," Tsume said a bit bitterly.

"None of you have complained so far," Anko retorted. "You probably know everything Kakashi does but I haven't heard of you offering any more to the Hokage."

"As long as he isn't leading her astray then I'd like to agree in not inciting the council. But they've gone too far now. She's going to go up against them regardless. Giving her more to work with is the safest bet," Tsume said, turning to stare at Anko.

"The Daimyo will do that for us. We're bound not to talk," Kakashi said, cutting off the argument. "Remain here please," he added as he turned to walk up to one of the houses.

When Tsume moved to follow him up the front path, Kakashi turned and shook his head at her. "The head of the household isn't here or someone at the palace would have told us. You can't bring up whatever it is that Tsunade wants while you're here. If we go to Anraku, fine, but not here," he told her firmly.

Tsume stared at him and one of dogs growled at the tone of his voice, but Kakashi remained firm. "Hurry up then. If Rin isn't here, I want to leave immediately. If she is, I want to be back in Konoha by nightfall," she said.

Kakashi nodded and continued his way to the door. He knocked once hoping that Rin would be there so that he wouldn't have to remain with the Inuzuka on an even longer expedition. Any longer in Tsume's company and she would probably start grilling him about the Akatsuki. In front of a Hokage who wasn't quite sure what she was grasping for it was fairly easy to lie. In front of one of the clan heads who had suspected that something was going on years ago, it was a lot harder, though no less possible.

The door swung open suddenly and his lower legs were assaulted by a small black haired boy who grinned up and greeted him as "Kashi."

Trying not to frown as he glanced first at Tsume and the others and finally down at the little boy, he sighed and leaned over to pick him up. "Hello Daiki. Is it just you and your mother?" he asked nicely.

"No. Kushu's here too," Daiki grinned as 'Kushu' stepped out from behind the door she had opened.

"Hatake-san," she greeted him politely as she glanced at the entourage he had left at the curb. "Can I do anything for you or should I get Kato-san?"

"Hello Kushoku, is Rin here?" he asked, handing Daiki back to his cousin.

"I think she's in Anraku with mom and Takahiro back home. They both got sick," Kushoku said, moving back out of the way. "You can come in while I get Kato."

Kakashi nodded and turned around to beckon the others from the street. Without waiting for them, he walked into the house and towards the main sitting room. Just as he was sitting down, Tsume and Hana joined him – he could see their dogs waiting patiently by the door as Kushoku greeted Anko and showed her in as well before heading towards the stairs and pushing her cousin up them. "Go get your mother please," she told the toddler before turning around and hesitating at the door to the sitting room and glancing at Kakashi in concern.

He nodded once and she moved over to sit down next to him, trying to relax. "How was the festival? The Daimyo invited me along but Kato wouldn't let me go," Kushoku said.

"That was probably for the best. There was a security breach so you were safer here," Kakashi told her.

"What about the performance? Did you get to see it or did they not have time for it? I got to watch them while they were practicing. If I had gone along I could have been it," the teen said, grinning finally.

"What part would you have had?"

"Kano's," Kushoku answered, grinning even wider. "I would have put my hair up. Mom thought it was funny when she heard about it."

"Only in her own way I'm sure. Did she make the cloak for that?"

"Yeah. Did Kano bring it back? He said he was gonna give it me when they returned," Kushoku said, her eyes shining.

"Lady Ran decided to give it to one of my students," Kakashi said, not quite managing to return the grin.

Kushoku paused for a moment, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face as she frowned before she suddenly grinned again. "Did they give it to Naruto? Was he there?"

"Yes he was and yes they gave it to him," Kakashi answered, sighing.

"Okay, okay, I'll leave now since you won't tell me anything else. Are you staying long?" she asked as she got up to leave the room.

"No. If Rin isn't here we'll be leaving as soon as we find out where she is," Kakashi said, waving her out of the room.

Anko waited until the girl was out of the room before turning to Kakashi and asking, "Am I forgetting something?"

"No more than usual. I don't think you would have ever met her," Kakashi answered, glancing once at Anko to end the conversation before turning to stare at the hallway.

Tsume had opened her mouth to comment when she heard someone tramping down the stairs. A moment later, a pale, dark haired woman appeared shooing Daiki after Kushoku before turning to greet them. "Nami Kato," she said, introducing herself. "I know Kakashi. And I believe you're Mitarashi Anko. Are both of you Inuzuka?" she asked.

"Inuzuka Tsume and my daughter Hana. The Hokage needs to speak with Chiyu Rin. Was your niece correct in saying that she was in Anraku?" Tsume asked.

"Oh, not niece. Cousin by marriage," Kato smiled. Anko was fairly certain she had met this particular Nami before, although she couldn't remember where.

"And Rin?" Tsume continued wanting to finish their business so that she could lay into Kakashi.

"Not related," Kato said, still smiling.

"Not what I meant."

"She should be in Anraku. My husband and his aunt fell ill. When my father-in-law suspected it was the plague he asked her to stop in and sent us away for a few weeks. We'd probably have Rishito with us but Rin was afraid he'd sneak off to Konoha with the guard if he had the chance," Kato said, the smile not wavering even the slightest – Tsume was mildly impressed.

"We won't take up any more of your time then. We'd like to be in Anraku by nightfall."

"Are you sure you should go? I didn't think they had an immunization yet," Kato said.

Tsume couldn't tell if she was honestly concerned or if she was delaying. If it was the second, it might mean that Rin wasn't even there. "We're sure. We'll take the risk," she said firmly, standing as Hana immediately followed her lead. Kakashi and Anko stood more hesitantly and Tsume sent them a firm glare. "I'd like to be there by nightfall," she repeated, heading straight to the door. Kato glanced at Kakashi out of the corner of her eye, but he didn't bother with anything other than a wave as he followed Tsume out.

For her part, Tsume remained calm until they were actually out of Hifukidake and on the road to Anraku. She even managed to remain calm as she turned to look Kakashi square in the eye. "Mind telling me why that girl looked just like your student?" she asked, her voice rumbling out of her throat like a low growl. The dogs stirred nearby as if sensing her anger.

"Blond hair is common where she's from," Kakashi answered, pulling out his book in an attempt to end the conversation.

Rather than allow it to work, Tsume reached forward and grabbed the book from his hand, tossing it behind her. The two dogs fell on it and tore it apart while Kakashi watched in disappointment. "That's the third one I've had to replace," he muttered.

"I don't care. You assured us that the Daimyo would tell her what was going on. We thought we knew what that meant, but now, I think you've been lying even more. It's going to come back and haunt you if the Clan heads find out you've been playing us too. We were going to support you in this but not if you're abusing that trust. Is that understood?"

"I'm not lying to you. Her appearance is common in that area. If you plan on reacting poorly every time you see someone who looks like that then you should go back to Konoha and I'll just take Anko with me. She already told you why we wouldn't delay unnecessarily," Kakashi said, steadily returning Tsume's gaze.

"Then why did it take until this past week for the Daimyo to speak with Tsunade-sama?"

"Because Rin was interrupted during her previous visit. Maybe Shikaku should have focused less on Itachi's reappearance and more on Rin's by keeping the Council out of the way that day. If he had, she would have been able to discuss with Tsunade then. And maybe if the Clan heads had tried a little harder to overrule the Council when they decided to go after Naruto directly, we would be willing to play along more amicably," Kakashi retorted; his anger spilling over into his voice, but not his face.

"I get it. So answer my question and I'll drop it for now," Tsume stated, not falling for Kakashi's attitude and losing her temper like he wanted her to.

"Her mother is Nami Satumina. Take from that what you will," he said as Anko's eyes widened slightly before her laughter broke up the tenseness of the situation.

"Kachuu's Satumina?" she asked still laughing brightly. "So he got his blond babies? How old is she?"

"Of course. Now can we continue on our way?" Kakashi asked, turning back to Tsume.

"How old?" Anko whined.

"Almost sixteen I think. Let's go," he said, shaking his head at Anko.

Tsume sighed and nodded. Her reluctance to press the issue any more left her daughter completely in the dark, wondering how she was supposed to react to hearing about a conspiracy between the Clan heads and Kakashi, Rin and the Daimyo - and possibly Anko, though she didn't seem to know as much as the others. Hana followed after the others as they took off; she was determined to get answers from her mother the minute they had time alone.

**X**

The group arrived in Anraku just after nightfall, a fact that irked Tsume to no end. She didn't want to travel at night, especially on no sleep. That meant they would have to stay there that night before traveling again in the morning. If they found Rin, it meant they could go straight back to Konoha. If they didn't, it meant they would probably lose another day traveling to her location.

Hana wasn't quite so annoyed. Anraku was a beautiful seaside city. Even at night, its main areas were bustling with travelers and citizens. It was the largest city along the coast and positioned just south of the crossing to Wave Country. Not quite the 'den of depravity' – as most shinobi called the gambling towns in Fire Country – but there was plenty of entertainment to distract those passing through.

Kakashi had led them expertly through the streets, not giving her much time to look around, but what she had seen told her that it was a fairly wealthy area. Clean too. The streets were wide and paved to discourage dust. The buildings were in top shape, not quite the organic, haphazard look of Konoha, but definitely not the older styles that she had seen in many of the cities built before the wars. She'd bet that most of the growth had taken place in the past two decades.

Kakashi led them straight through the city itself and to a large compound just ouside. It was on the inland, not the coast, and Hana could see the farmland stretching out beyond it. She didn't know much about the Nami family, but she hadn't expected them to be wealthy farmers. The group walked straight up to main building, sitting just outside a large ornate fence, like the one that enclosed the Hyuuga compound in Konoha, and Hana wondered if this family would turn out to be as exclusive as the Hyuuga were.

The main double doors were open and Kakashi walked in with ease, motioning for the group to follow. He walked to the end of the long room and pulled on rope, sounding a bell that was loud enough to be heard throughout most of the compound. A moment later, they heard the sound of running feet along a wooden floor and a set of sliding doors slid open towards their left.

The moment Anko saw the small figure at the door she beamed eagerly. Kakashi sent the brown haired boy a warning look and he slowed down long enough to bow politely and check himself in place before walking forward, brimming with excitement. "Hi Kakashi!" he greeted happily, holding himself back enough that he looked in proper form.

"I shouldn't have been able to hear you coming," Kakashi told him, though the others could see enough of his face to tell that he was happy to see the boy.

"I was hoping you were mom," he admitted.

"Would she have rung the bell?"

"Probably not. But she might have if someone was with her," the boy said.

"Fair enough Rishito. Does this mean Rin isn't here right now?" Kakashi asked.

When she heard the boy's name, the familiarity of the boy's appearance clicked in Tsume's mind. He had the same purple tattoos as Rin, the same hair, the same rounded face. This was the kid she left Konoha for. The one she was quite possibly hiding from Tsunade, and considering the slightly discolored roots along the part in his hair, she wasn't very surprised as to why the kid was being hidden. Or why his father hadn't spoken up when the Council got involved. Suspecting Rin was involved with Shisui was bad enough. Knowing she had been involved with her teammate could have been worse.

"Suzu sent for her a few days ago," Rishito answered. "One of the town's west of here has been getting worse. I think the death count was going up and Suzu wanted help. They were going to send word to Konoha if they couldn't handle it together," he added.

"Was she supposed to be back tonight?" Anko asked, still grinning widely as she looked at the kid.

"No, I was just hoping she would. I didn't want her to be gone for long. She might get sick too," Rishito admitted, his face falling slightly. Anko's grin wavered a bit at his comment but it returned full force when the kid looked at her in recognition. "You're Anko! I wanted to go to town for the festival and meet you and d- Kakashi's students but they knew what I was up to so I had to stay here!"

"Fresh Blood!" Anko yelled in delight as she moved over to hug the boy. "You're even cuter than that picture!"

"You got that? I helped Kushoku pick them out for mom. Did you get the other one too?" Rishito asked, still grinning at her.

"Other one? Oh! The one Lian gave to Naruto. Damn, I didn't get to see it," Anko muttered, pursing her lips. "What'd it look like?"

"Not telling," Rishito said, grinning up at her.

"Fine. I'll just pester Naruto to see it when we get back," Anko retorted, hmphing as she turned back towards Kakashi as he cleared his throat to regain their attention.

"Is Sho here?" Kakashi asked.

Rishito nodded and slipped out of Anko's hug to lead them further into the compound. "Hey are you staying tonight?" he asked glancing over his shoulder at Kakashi. Once he had a nod in agreement, he beamed. "I have something you have to see. Mom just finished teaching it to me."

The group followed him for another minute or so before Rishito paused and turned back to Kakashi again, grinning even more widely. "Hey, you said you're taking mom back to Konoha right? Can I go with you?"

Kakashi paused and stared at Rishito for a moment before sighing. "Perhaps," he said, waving the boy on again. If Tsunade wanted what he thought she wanted, it would probably be better to take him back anyways. Trying to keep him outside the village after Rin cut off ties with the Akatsuki would be dangerous. Watching Rishito skip down the hallway, he wasn't sure he should have raised his hopes that much. They could always get to wherever Rin was and have her disagree with him and send Rishito back to Anraku. That would make him a very mean father.

They reached Sho's study without any more of Rishito's bright ideas and Kakashi almost sighed in relief. Even with his book destroyed, every meeting with Rishito tended to get him in trouble with Rin for doing something incredibly stupid. Hopefully this time it would turn out to be not so stupid. Kakashi waved Rishito over to the side after the boy knocked on the rim of the sliding door and he opened it when Sho called for whoever it was to enter.

"Kakashi? We weren't expecting you yet. Did something happen at the festival for Tsunade to contact us so soon?" he asked in near amusement.

"Not quite what you were hoping for," Kakashi told him, sliding the door wider so that Sho could see Tsume next to him. "Tsunade wants to see Rin. Rishito said she was called away?"

"She's almost directly south of Konoha. Unless you want to travel all night you should wait until morning to leave," Sho stated, not giving up her location in hopes of convincing them to stay. "I can have arrangements made so that you can stay here," he added.

"If it's not too much trouble. We'd appreciate the night to rest," Tsume said.

"Not at all, let me show to your rooms," Sho said, standing from behind his desk. "One of the suites is empty, so I'll give you that. Would you prefer that they stay with you or in the yard?" he asked, pointing to the dogs once he was in the hall.

"They can stay with us. They're housebroken" Tsume said, smiling slightly as she motioned for the dogs to follow along. "That way none of your family will be confused if they see two strange dogs in the morning before we leave."

"It wouldn't be the strangest thing they've come across," Sho joked.

He led the group a bit further down along the wooden walkway before sliding a door open and waving them in. "I'll send someone in with supplies in a bit. Food as well. If you'll excuse me, I'll be back shortly," he said, pausing to beckon to Kakashi and Rishito. "I'll make sure to have a map out tomorrow morning to show you the way," he added, sliding the door shut.

"What are the chances of seeing Kakashi again tonight?" Tsume asked turning to Anko.

"No clue. They might have a room here for him already," Anko answered.

"How do you know Satumina?"

"I met her once on a mission with Kakashi and Obito. And again when Minato-san was named Hokage; she was in Konoha that time," Anko said.

"She didn't bring the girl with her at that time, but she should be old enough to have been born already," Tsume noted.

"They probably just didn't want anyone to know about her," Anko replied, shrugging. "Are you planning on interrogating me all night?"

"No, just trying to figure out what you remember."

"What I remember? Cute," Anko said bitterly. "So nice of you to acknowledge it now."

"I wasn't a Clan head when all that happened. There wasn't anything I could do."

Anko grunted slightly as she sank into one of the couches in the common room. "I wish Sho hadn't needed to talk to Kakashi. I wanted to see what Rishito learned," she said, sulking slightly.

"The Hokage won't be happy if she meets him and learns he's being trained as a ninja," Hana said, glancing at her mother in concern.

"I doubt Kakashi or Rin care much about upsetting her," Tsume said honestly.

"It's not like they could leave him entirely untrained. If he's got a substantial amount of chakra then he'd need to learn how to use it. Or at least exercise it," Anko added.

"Makes me wonder what they've taught Kushoku," Tsume added.

"You'll piss Kakashi off more if you bring her up. They liked Kachuu just as much as they liked Minato," Anko said, frowning at her. "And I think you do worry about pissing them off more."

"If it comes up I'm not lying to cover for them," Tsume told her. "If it doesn't come up, we'll stick to what's important right now. That's the Akatsuki and Uzumaki. Knowing Kakashi, he's going to bring his kid in just to distract her."

"_His_ kid?" Hana asked in confusion.

"Oh yeah, you weren't there when I said they dyed his hair, were you?" Anko said grinning. "The Council never would have let him go if they'd known. They were 'convinced' Kakashi was capable of passing on the sharingan. They probably knew it was bullshit but they still paid way to much attention to him. If he had spoken out during all that crap they would have given Rin even more trouble. Mikoto-san was the one who made sure she got out so she probably knew at the time."

"The three of you were incredibly close to the Uchiha. Even if you pretended you weren't. Why is Kakashi defending Itachi now?" Tsume asked.

"He's not. He's defending Naruto and Konoha. You really think he wants anyone else to go up against Itachi unprepared?" Anko said, slouching down and closing her eyes.

"Why are you all lying to the Hokage?" Hana finally asked.

"To stop the Council from gaining more traction. If she focuses on the day-to-day works and keeps them out then they start losing ground. If she starts focusing on them instead, she'll lose ground as well. They need to be out before we can start the real business of getting her filled in. They screwed up when they went after Uzumaki in front of her. They pissed her off even more when they went behind her back and contacted other villages. It shouldn't take much longer now," Tsume said, sitting down on a chair across from Anko. "In the meantime, the real danger is the Akatsuki. With what they're up to, they could give back the ground the Council been losing within the village. We need to stop them before it gets any worse and Uzumaki is put in more danger."

"What about his friends?" Hana asked hesitantly.

"What about them?" Anko asked opening her eyes again.

"The night of the festival they were talking about the performance. Hyuuga Hanabi mentioned a jinchuriki. Do the Hyuuga have something against Naruto? Will he lose those two and possibly some of their teammates? I don't think Kiba would care if he learned; he trusts Naruto too much to start doubting him over something like this. But what about the others? Is she at all prepared to handle that?" Hana asked.

"Sakura already figured it out. She's not leaving Naruto over it," Anko told her. "From what Kakashi said, she's doing the exact opposite."

"Hyuuga don't care as long as they know it's under control. They were a bit pissed off after he beat the older one, Neji. But that was wounded pride more than anything malicious. I think Hiashi would rather his two remain friends with Naruto to retain him as an ally. The others would probably be nudged in the same way if their parents saw a growing problem," Tsume said.

"Make sure the Hokage knows that. Naruto wasn't doing well when Kakashi last talked to him," Anko said, sighing again. She'd spent too much time training with Naruto to not realize how much he needed his friends. She'd needed them too after Orochimaru left. Having that kind of weight on your shoulder and putting up with the lily-white civilians was too difficult without being either an idiot or having friends to counter it. Naruto wasn't an idiot to the extent that he acted like it and he was starting to be dangerously low on friends that he trusted.

Tsume was interrupted from asking what she meant when a knock came on the door. She opened it to let in a young brunette woman holding a pile of linens. "Sorry to bother you. I brought stuff to make up the beds," she explained, stepping inside. "Don't mind me; I'll be out in a minute. Though someone else should be coming by with food."

**X**

"What happened?" Sho asked as he led Kakashi and Rishito down the walkway and towards the kitchen.

"A member of Akatsuki attacked during the festival. When we left there were over a hundred casualties, all but two were civilians. It wasn't what we expected so Tsunade wants to talk with Rin," Kakashi explained.

"That doesn't sound like what she was told," Sho said.

"It wasn't. Something's gone wrong," Kakashi replied as they entered the kitchen.

Sho motioned for Kakashi and Rishito to take a seat as he walked through to the room behind it and spoke for a moment with two of the young women there. One passed through the kitchen, momentarily waving to Kakashi; the other walked into the kitchen and looked like she was preparing food while she listened rather obviously. "What does she think mom knows?" Rishito asked in confusion.

"I don't know but she wants to understand Rin's arrangement. If she thinks it isn't worth it to continue, she might order Rin to cut off ties."

"They won't like that. Are you taking Rishito with you?" Sho asked.

"He's already asked to come so I figure it can't hurt for Tsunade to at least meet him. She might see it as a sign of trust. Rin's not going to like it though. She won't want to return permanently and I don't know what she would do if Tsunade asked."

"Would she let me go to the Academy?" Rishito asked eagerly. "Mom even taught me a new jutsu. That's what I wanted to show you. Watch," he added standing up. He ignored the small laugh from the woman at the counter and carefully performed several hand seals. "Bunshin no Jutsu."

Kakashi fought the urge not to laugh when a sickly looking replication appeared next to Rishito. "Have you been practicing a lot today?" he finally asked Rishito stared at his creation dumbfounded.

"Yeah, but I had it working before mom even left," he whined. "Tell him I really did," he added, turning to Sho with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Kakashi already believes you," Sho said.

"I do. You're probably just tired from practicing so much. And I've seen worse than that from Genin," Kakashi assured him before turning back to Sho. "Kato said that Mina and Takahiro had both gotten sick. Were they well enough for Rin to leave?"

"They had both begun to respond to treatment; although, she'll have to continue it when she returns."

"Good, Tsunade won't be able to keep her in Konoha for long if she needs to return," Kakashi said nodding.

"Was Naruto injured in the attack?"

Kakashi shook his head and sighed. "Physically he's fine. But two of the civilians killed were Haruno Sakura's parents. He's blaming himself already despite the fact that she told him not to. He was already on edge because of the festival and that performance didn't help. I wish they had sent word ahead so that I could have made sure that Naruto wasn't there," he said.

"I thought you said he never went to festivals. Why _was_ he there?"

"The Mizukage and Daimyo were both in attendance and Tsunade wanted people there to make sure the Council didn't get time to talk with them. She had Jiraiya and Sakura push Naruto into coming. If the attack hadn't happened things might have worked out just fine, but he's on edge now so we do need to leave early tomorrow so that we can get back soon," Kakashi said, making sure that Sho understood that it wasn't just Tsume not wanting to be delayed.

"Eat then," Sho told him as a plate of food was placed in front of Kakashi. "I'll go get one of the maps and show you where she is so that you don't have to wait for me in the morning. And Rishito if you go with them, make sure you listen to your parents and don't run off on your own."

Rishito grinned over at Sho as he walked out of the room. Kakashi frowned at the grin. It was nearly the same one that Anko and Naruto wore when they discovered a way to cause trouble without going against direct orders.

**X**

By the next evening, they were barely a mile from the town of Karak. From there, it would be another day's travel, north to Konoha. Kakashi had carried Rishito for most of the trip so that they could faster. They would probably have to spend the night anyways, unless Rin could leave immediately. If the situation had been bad enough to pull her away from Anraku, he doubted she would be able to.

"Let's take the road into town so that we don't spook anyone," Tsume spoke up, dropping into the road as she did so. "Once there, we'll ask where Rin is."

Kakashi nodded and followed her to the ground, setting Rishito back onto his feet. "If they have a clinic she'll probably be there," he offered, handing Rishito's pack to him and then pulling out a bandana and handing it to Rishito as well. "Cover up your head. The dye is fading." Rishito nodded and did as he was told while following the others down the road.

Once inside the town, they were rather lost. With no one outside to speak to, they were left heading down the main street hoping to find either a clinic or a public building to peek into and ask for help. They found the clinic first but only one person was inside. "Iyasu?" Tsume said in surprise.

The dark haired woman looked up from the papers she was reading and froze. "Can I help you?" she asked, glancing more towards Kakashi than Tsume or the others.

"We're looking for Rin. Sho said she was here with you," Kakashi told her.

"Oh! Right," Suzu said, standing up and moving from behind the table she was at. "She's with a few patients. Do want to wait for her here or do you want me to take you there?" she asked, putting the papers away in a drawer.

"We don't need to interrupt her. As long she'll be back this evening, we can wait here," Tsume spoke up making sure Suzu couldn't forget she was there.

"It shouldn't be much longer. Maybe an hour at most," Suzu said, wavering near the file cabinet.

"We'll wait then," Tsume told her, dropping her pack near the door to prove that they were staying. "You're Iyasu Suzu, right?"

"It's Kazemi. I'm married," Suzu told her. "If you'll excuse me. You can wait here for Rin. I have work to do."

Before Tsume could say anything else, Suzu walked out of the small clinic and out of sight. "You know Suzu?" Rishito asked curiously, as he hopped to sit on the table.

"She worked in Konoha until…maybe a decade ago," Tsume told him before turning to Kakashi.

"She's the Daimyo's head physician. He has her working on this illness," Kakashi said, trying to end the conversation.

"Oh! Now I remember her," Anko suddenly proclaimed, taking a seat next to Rishito on the table. Kakashi turned lazily towards her and finally moved over to sit next to them, but in a chair. He doubted Suzu would really appreciate having her table so abused.

"She was one of Kachuu's girls right?" Anko asked.

Kakashi nodded but didn't offer any more information.

"You know I hate it when you do that. Wouldn't it be easier if you just gave something up?" she said in return.

"No. This makes you think harder."

"Are…are you trying to break the block?" Tsume asked staring at them. "Is that even possible?"

"It's been working so far. I mean I remembered Suzu, didn't I?"

"You knew Suzu after it was applied. That happened, what three years before she left?"

"Barely one and a half," Anko corrected. "And that one doesn't explain most of this crap."

"What are you talking about?" Rishito asked in confusion. Still by the door, Hana sighed out of relief that she hadn't had to ask that herself.

"My head's messed up," Anko said with grin.

"Well mom already told me that, but I mean, what are you talking about with this memory stuff?" Rishito said with complete sincerity.

Anko frowned at the implications of his statement and rolled her head so that she was looking at Kakashi. Said man would have given just about anything to have his book back to cover his face as he tried not to laugh. "I hate both of you," Anko told him, pouting. Kakashi waved her off, still trying not to laugh.

Tsume looked like she wanted to push the issue, but with both Anko and Kakashi suitably sidetracked she doubted she would get very far. And now she had another thing to explain to her daughter. At this rate, the poor girl would be up to her nose in Konoha's sordid past before the week was out. It would be just her luck if she returned home to Konoha to find Kiba ready to talk about the Kyuubi.

Kakashi had managed to compose himself by the time the dogs began barking. Rin appeared in the door a moment later quickly bypassing Hana and Tsume so that she could loom menacingly over her son. "We had an agreement about you staying out of infected areas," she said a bit angrily.

"Ah, that would have taken too long. We would have had to go from here back to Anraku before going to Konoha. This way we can go straight to Konoha," Kakashi said before Rishito could say anything that would get him in trouble.

"What?"

"I promised he could go to Konoha with us. Tsunade needs to see you. It's urgent so I didn't want to make the trip any longer than it already was," Kakashi explained.

"You didn't want to inconvenience Tsunade so you brought my son into an area with a high infection rate?" Rin asked. Kakashi probably would have been in trouble if Anko hadn't chosen that moment to giggle at Rin's behavior.

"A member of the Akatsuki attacked during the festival. Tsunade-sama needs to speak with you urgently," Tsume said before Rin could derail them. "We can wait until tomorrow morning to leave, but no longer."

"Tomorrow morning. That'll leave Suzu on her own a lot earlier than I wanted. Is there any way of putting it off another week?" Rin asked.

"Unless you leaving will definitely lead to more deaths than I'd rather not wait. Will it?"

"No," Rin admitted. "I'll have to meet with Suzu tonight though to go over everything. If I'm going to Konoha now then I want to bring everything we've got and go over it with Shizune and the Hokage. Wait did you just say someone attacked _during_ the festival? That doesn't sound like Itachi or Kisame, they've avoided crowds up to this point."

"It wasn't either of them. It was some blond," Anko told her. "He used bombs."

"Can we leave tonight?" Rin asked, surprising even Tsume.

"Do you know who it is?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, and it's a problem if he attacked. He isn't assigned to Naruto. He shouldn't be near you guys," she answered.

"We'll head out once of you've spoken with Suzu," Tsume told her. Rin nodded and took off back out the door.

* * *

**Agent's Spiel: **Notes are up on the blog.

Random question: Miles vs. Kilometers. Does anyone care? I tend to jump between them anyways but I'm never sure if that just ends up confusing people more or whatever. If you have an opinion, do share.

Reviews:

_Kage Husha, nlblake, Water-Soter, evil genus, AznPuffyHair, watchingtherain1, DarkRavie, Azamiko, Suki1, someone179, showmethestars, Weasel Fu, theo darkstar, dragondancer711_

And thanks again for people using the blog.


	14. When You're Sleeping Pt 4

**Agent's Spiel: **Sorry for the delays.

Oh yeah, am I seriously already confusing you guys with original characters? If there's any confusion please please tell me. I think some of it will be cleared up as the story continues because none of them have had more than a cameo so far (and some won't ever get beyond that) but please let me know how bad it is (on the blog please, it'll be easier to keep track of the list there).

Is there anything in particular you guys would like to hear me talk about? Anything? Oh well, if you think of anything that might help get a discussion going over on the blog, let me know.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

**When You're Sleeping**

Three days later, Naruto woke up eager to get out of the tower and to the training field as quickly as possible. Until he remembered that he didn't have training that day. He looked towards the clothes folded neatly at the foot of his bed and sighed. He hated funerals almost as much as he hated festivals. And this one was going to be worse than usual.

Maybe if Kakashi, or even Anko, was going to be there he would have been okay. But they had been forced to leave with an apologetic Daimyo the afternoon after 'The Dinner' as Jiraiya had called it. The old man hadn't been willing to tell him what had happened or why it had upset Sakura so much. As for Sakura, she hadn't spoken to him since that evening.

And now he had to go to her parents' funeral.

And see his friends for the first time since the festival. The knot in his stomach returned full force as he got dressed. He couldn't count the number of times he had wondered what would happen if Sakura hadn't been the only one to figure out that he was a jinchuriki. Attending a funeral for two people whose deaths he was partly responsible was bad enough. Attending it with people who also felt he was responsible was worse. Attending it with friends who might know he was responsible, was worst of all.

He sat back down on his bed and waited nervously until the knock came on his door. "Uzumaki?"

Naruto frowned as he tried to place the female voice, until he remembered the purple haired ANBU who had been with them the night of the attack. He moved off the bed and opened the door a bit nervously. The woman wasn't in ANBU fatigues, instead she was wearing funerary clothes like him, and she held out her hand. "We haven't really had the chance to meet. I'm Uzuki Yuugao. Hokage-sama sent me to get you," she said.

Naruto nodded and hesitantly shook her hand. "Ready to go? Or do you need more time?" she asked politely.

"I'm ready," he muttered as the knot in his stomach tightened.

"This way then."

Naruto nodded and followed her out of the residential floors and into the main tower. He hesitated again when she moved towards the exit and she paused to give him time to catch up. He hadn't been in the village proper since the attack. Training with Jiraiya had taken up most of his time and the rest of it had been spent in the administration tower. Time in the tower hadn't been that bad, especially tucked away in his room. Most of the other ninja were being careful around him. The pity had remained; the nervousness had grown; but the anger that he was expecting had never shown. He didn't want to see it now.

"Naruto," Yuugao spoke up, urging him to join her at the door.

"Coming," Naruto muttered in reply as he started walking towards her again. He followed her out of the tower and into the street, trying not to drag his feet too much. "Umm…how far do we have to go?" he asked a bit nervously as they made their way past the academy.

"Edge of town. We'll go quickly," Yuugao said, glancing back apologetically.

Naruto nodded and followed her without complaint as she began threading her way through the streets. He was just thankful that it was early enough for the streets to be mostly empty. He was even more thankful when he realized that Yuugao had gone completely out of her way to avoid the scene of the explosions; he wasn't really up for seeing that on the morning of a funeral.

When the streets started getting busy, Naruto sped up so that he was walking right behind Yuugao. "We're almost there," she assured him without turning around. Had she turned around she probably would have been able to prevent what happened next.

"What do you think you're doing here?" a man growled, grabbing Naruto by his upper arm and spinning him around.

Naruto gaped wordlessly at the ninja who was holding him and glanced over his shoulder at Yuugao. "You honestly think you can just show up in town after what happened?" the man said, shaking Naruto's arm to regain his attention. When that didn't work he raised his other arm and closed his fist before lashing out just as Naruto turned around, landing a blow straight across Naruto's right cheek and sending the blond stumbling backwards into Yuugao. She caught him by the shoulders to steady him but quickly released him again to catch the man before he could run off.

Naruto remained where she had left him staring at the woman as she began to yell the man in front of her. It took him a moment to realize that the man was in uniform, Chuunin or maybe even Jounin. Civilians had never liked him, but other ninja had never gone after him before, he realized as he stared at them. He tenderly reached a hand up to rub at his bruised cheek and turned towards the large window of the shop they had been passing to get a better look, freezing immediately.

He wasn't sure which worse, his narrowed pupils or the Genin and dog he could see running his way from down the street. The moment Kiba opened his mouth to shout, Naruto disappeared from the street. He wouldn't have been able to see the shadow that landed briefly on the street to warn Yuugao of his disappearance before taking off again. He probably wouldn't have noticed that same shadow following him as he flickered back through the village, not stopping once until he was back at the training grounds on the top of mountain.

When his shadow caught up to him, Naruto was sitting near the edge of his new training grounds, staring at his hands. The ANBU cautiously approached him, making sure that his footsteps were loud enough that Naruto would be able to hear him. "Kid?"

Naruto stiffened slightly but he didn't turn around to see who had approached him. "Go away," he said angrily.

"Can't do that. Right now, you need to have one of us with you to make sure that doesn't happen again. Are you okay? I couldn't see how hard he hit you."

"Go away. 'M fine," Naruto muttered, removing his forehead so that his bangs fell over his eyes. Kakashi had just finished warning him that it could happen. He wasn't losing his teacher's trust over something so stupid.

"Can you at least let me look at it?" the man asked, walking around so that he was standing in front of Naruto. He made sure to maintain enough distance that Naruto wouldn't see it as threatening. "I know you really don't like ANBU after that slip up a couple of nights ago, but we're on your side."

"He should have been too," Naruto muttered.

"Some people are just being stupid right now. The attack has them on edge."

"He was a ninja," Naruto said. A ninja had never hit him before. He couldn't even remember the last time a ninja had glared at him. Sure they had gotten pissed off when he did stupid things like defacing the mountainside, but that was to be expected. Other ninja had never joined in when other people reacted to him on the street. Other ninja hadn't tried to hold him back. Other ninja had cheered for him at the tournament. Made sure he and his teammates were okay after the fight with Gaara – even if they had thought Sasuke had beat him. They had even looked angry when he wasn't promoted the second time around. They _didn't_ hit him.

"If you don't want to head back to town that's fine. Yuugao will explain it to the Hokage. I'll stay here with you for an hour or two. By then the funeral will be over and we can go back to the tower and talk with Tsunade-sama, alright?"

Naruto froze at the mention of the funeral. After a moment of hesitation, he stood up. He didn't want to leave Sakura there, even if their other friends were with her. He wavered again and finally sat back down. He didn't want to go back through the village. Kiba had seen it. He'd tell their friends and Naruto didn't want their questions.

**X**

"Uzuki?"

Yuugao turned from the Chuunin she was yelling at to look up at the man who had called her name. "Nara." she said, glancing regretfully at the teen standing behind Shikaku and staring at the spot Naruto had just vacated.

"What just happened? Where did Uzumaki go?"

"Jiro went after him to make sure he was okay," Yuugao said. The Chuunin in front of her turned like he was about to run but Shikaku caught him with a shadow bind before he could take more than a step.

"Get rid of him," Shikaku ordered, releasing the bind once Yuugao had a grip on the man. "I'll tell the Hokage why you aren't there."

Yuugao nodded once and disappeared, leaving Shikamaru staring up at his father. Kiba and Akamaru joined them a moment later. "What the hell just happened? We were just down the street and Akamaru smelled Naruto so I was gonna wait for him but then that guy just came up and punched him out of nowhere and then Naruto disappeared," he said, breathless by the time he had finished.

Shikaku looked down at Kiba lazily and noted, "It sounds like you already know what happened then."

"No. We don't know why he did it," Shikamaru pointed out, gaining a whine from Akamaru.

Kiba glanced down at his dog motioning for him to quiet down. "Where did Naruto go? Can we go get him?" he asked.

"She said someone went after him. He'll handle it. We have a funeral to attend," Shikaku told him.

"But Naruto-"

"Funeral first. You'll never find Naruto on your own, but I'm sure if you stay with Sakura, he'll find you," Shikaku said sternly, pushing them both down the street and into the open square where the funeral was being held. The Haruno's double funeral was the first of eight being held in the square that day. It would probably remain decked in black for the next two weeks. As soon as he spotted Sakura, sitting down and leaning on Ino, Shikaku pushed his son and Kiba their way before heading towards Tsunade.

While Shikaku pulled Tsunade aside to explain the situation, Kiba was busy ranting about the idiot who had hit Naruto, immediately setting off alarm bells among their friends. "I mean the guy just came out of no where and grabbed his arm. Naruto was looking at the woman with him and when he turned around he got punched," he growled.

"Where is he?" Sakura asked, jumping to her feet. "Was he hurt?"

"I don't know. His dad wouldn't let us go after him," Kiba said, jabbing a thumb at Shikamaru. "He told us some guy had gone to check on Naruto and that we had to come here. I mean no offense, I know this is a bad day, but I would really rather go after Naruto."

"But you don't know where he is?" Sakura asked, standing up.

"No they said some guy had gone after him to check up on him but Shikamaru's dad wouldn't let us go. Said we were supposed to stay with you and that Naruto would probably find you later anyways."

"No he won't. He thinks I'm angry at him," Sakura said back angrily before turning to find Tsunade in the crowd. The moment she had spotted the Hokage she turned on her heal and walked over to her, interrupting the surely interesting conversation Tsunade was having with Shikaku and Asuma. "Where's Naruto?" she demanded.

"With one of my guards; he can't make it today," Tsunade answered quietly before turning away from Sakura again.

"Where is he? Kiba said he was hurt," Sakura insisted, glaring up at Tsunade for brushing her off.

"He'll be fine. Jiro would have sent for me if they needed me. Now please go back to your friends and I'll take you with me when we're done here," Tsunade said calmly before turning away once more.

"I don't care about this I want to go check on Naruto!"

Tsunade turned to stare down at Sakura, shocked at the rather childish behavior her student had suddenly adopted – how many teens actually stomp their foot during an argument? "Kid, do what the Hokage says. You don't need to be drawing attention to him right now," Asuma spoke up while Tsunade remained speechless.

"Someone hit him and we're sitting here at a funeral for two people who hated him. Does that make any sense to you?" Sakura asked furiously.

"No it doesn't," Tsunade finally said. "But the last thing we should do right now is give people more reason to say I'm favoring him. This is a rather small incident in the scheme of things and I can't leave my duty behind for this right now. Once the funeral is over I'll take you with me and we'll check on him. Then I'll check in on the investigation. But we cannot leave, is that understood?"

"No it isn't. I don't want to be here. You didn't hear them," Sakura insisted again. "They hated him. They threatened him. And now he's hurt."

"Kid if you leave your parents funeral to check on Naruto and it gets out who do you think is gonna be blamed?" Asuma asked.

"Sarutobi," Shikaku said, a warning in his voice.

"Listen to her. She already knows," Asuma responded. "They'll blame Naruto. They'll say he's twisting your mind. Just like they say he did to Sasuke. Do you want that?" Asuma continued, staring down at Sakura. "Do you think he wants that? To know that your relationship with your parents soured because of him?"

"But he's hurt."

"It was just a punch. Like Tsunade said, if it was serious she would have been sent for. The kid can take that. Go back with your friends for now," Asuma said.

Sakura stared at him for a moment more before turning to Tsunade pleadingly. "Go back to your friends. This will be over soon enough. You don't need to do anything but sit there with Ino for the next hour or so," Tsunade said, an air of finality in her voice.

Sakura sighed and turned around, quickly moving back to her friends and ignoring the questioning glances of the other attendees. "What's going on?" Ino asked gently as Sakura collapsed into her previous seat.

"Didn't you hear them? Someone hit Naruto," Sakura growled at her.

"I mean with you," Ino said bluntly.

"I don't want to be here. I don't like these people," Sakura whispered, motioning to the other civilians who were staring at her suspiciously. "I want to go back to the tower and hide until Kakashi-sensei gets back and fixes things."

"Is your sensei really that good at fixing things?" TenTen asked just as bluntly. "No offense but he hasn't done a great job so far."

"Better than them," Sakura muttered. "If he were here he would have left straight away to check on Naruto. He probably wouldn't have let it happen in the first place. Naruto was fine on our team."

"You don't know that," Ino said.

"She's right actually. I don't think he would have let it happen in the first place," Shino spoke up, glancing at his teammates. "He was the one who didn't want Naruto at the festival in the first place, correct? Niether Jiraiya-sama nor Tsunade-sama tried to keep him away. They may favor Naruto, but they don't know him well."

The rest of the rookies stared at Shino in surprise, but Sakura was looking at him with suspicion. Rather than push the issue in front of the others, she finally turned around in her seat to glare at Tsunade as the older woman took a seat and the gathering began to quiet down. Sakura tuned out most of the funeral, only rising from her seat mechanically to place a flower in front of each of her parents' pictures before sitting down again and immediately turning to watch Tsunade again.

She wasn't happy with the Hokage. Tsunade had been doing her best to keep Sakura distracted so that she wouldn't ask any question about the dinner with the Daimyo. It was working as far as keeping her from getting answers went but it didn't diminish her curiosity. It was only increasing the number of questions Sakura had.

She had spent a week in the Hokage's archives while Naruto had been in the hospital after Sasuke's defection. Even in the private archives – which she only had access to because she had been accepted as Tsuande's apprentice - she couldn't find a trace of her teammate except for part of his academy record and his birthday. Not even his mission records had been archived, and she had checked, the rest of her teams' were. Her entire life had been archived, from birth, to academy entrance, graduation, mission records, and even her attempt at the Chuunin exam in Konoha.

She had learned more about Sasuke's history from his records than she had ever been able to get from him directly. She now knew that Sasuke looked just like his mother. That his father had become head of the Uchiha Clan shortly after Sasuke's birth. That he had passed the academy entrance exam at age five but had been withheld from starting for another year because of a new rule that set an age limit on entrance. That he had missed six months of school because psychological trauma that kept him in the hospital until he was treated by Chiyu Rin. And that around the time that he returned to class at the start of a new term, Naruto had joined their class. Of course if TenTen had been telling the truth then Naruto had started at the Academy earlier than she had realized.

And that pissed her off too. She had assumed Naruto had just turned fourteen until the previous week. If he was actually Sasuke's age than he should have started at the same time as him. When she learned he was nine when he joined their class she assumed he had just been started late, it had explained why he didn't seem to know as much as the rest of them because he would have missed the early fundamentals like history, and even the basics in taijutsu and chakra control. And if TenTen was right and Naruto had just been skipping class, then it still didn't explain why he had been placed in their year rather than with a younger class to repeat all of it.

Except…he had said three times. Which meant he had started even earlier. Every time she thought about it, it made her dizzy. She couldn't understand why someone with Sasuke's obvious talent had been passed over for early entrance, when Naruto apparently hadn't. She no longer doubted his ability, but unless he had been failing on purpose, it just didn't make sense. If someone had been worried about the Kyuubi, it would have made more sense to have Naruto tutored one on one rather than placed with an entire class where he wouldn't have gotten personalized attention. It was obvious that he hadn't gotten extra attention outside of the academy because she had seen how quickly Naruto improved working with just their team and then one on one with Jiraiya and even Anko. Asuma had been impressed by Naruto's abilities which meant he was probably learning quicker than normal and that hadn't been the case in the academy. Of course they could have just been trying to block his graduation entirely. Which they had succeeded in doing anyways. He had failed that final exam. She still didn't know exactly how he managed to pass, his records hadn't given that either.

Just like they hadn't listed his parents. Even though the Daimyo knew who they were. And had expected Jiraiya to know too. But Jiraiya had said he had never heard of Naruto before bumping into him on accident. And then they had started arguing about someone named Minato and Tsunade had told her to leave. And Naruto wasn't even questioning it. He just accepted whatever people did to him and blamed it on the Kyuubi. But being a jinchuriki didn't explain it all. It may have explained why some of his records were blank. But not all of it.

And if he was just accepting that Tsunade was taking care of things…it was probably because he just accepted the same from the Third. But if it was Mizuki-sensei who told him about the Kyuubi then the third had probably been lying to him too. And if the Daimyo had assumed that Jiraiya knew about Naruto's parents, then the third had probably known about that too. And it wasn't fair that Naruto didn't, unless he was lying to her, but he had seemed serious when he told her that he just didn't know and didn't think that anyone knew. And it scared her that it seemed like he had never asked.

Sakura was interrupted from her thoughts when Ino reached over to tell her that the funeral was over. A quick glare scared off any of her parents' friends who were approaching and Sakura returned to staring at Tsunade, waiting impatiently for the Hokage to approach.

Her friends weren't willing to leave her to that, so Ino reached over and grabbed her chin, forcefully redirecting Sakura's attention on them and repeating what Neji had just said. "Team Gai is leaving next week for the Chuunin exam in Iwagakure no Sato. They want to meet up with all of us before they go. Can you bring Naruto?"

"I can try. He might be more likely to respond to Neji though. I _told_ you already that he thinks I'm angry at him," Sakura said.

"Well try first. If he still does than we'll track him down and have Lee invite him," TenTen told her, grinning rather inappropriately – although Sakura was rather inclined to return it as she imagined her currently sullen teammate dealing with Lee's exuberance.

* * *

**Agent's Spiel:** Sorry this is so short. I'm going to finish the chapter in the next segment so that this doesn't take any longer than it has to. The shorter segments make the story seem like it's dragging on far more than my outline does.

Reviews:

Kage Husha, show me the stars, someone 179, 17th Immortal, Jerrac, naturokurosaki, Water-Soter, AznPuffyHair, DarkRavie, Azamiko, dragondancer711, evil genus, theo darkstar, black suede, Wolfkun, Karibanu


	15. When You're Sleeping Pt 5

**Agent's Spiel: **Yeah I lied. There's still another part to this chapter. But this is like 15 pages long so I hope you don't mind that I decided to put off the rest of it another week or so rather than making you wait for the whole thing. Or not, I don't really care.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

**When You're Sleeping**

Inuzuka Tsume coughed once to get Tsunade's attention. Normally if they had arrived at the Hokage's office this early in the morning, Tsunade would be sleeping and she would have to wake her up.

But Tsunade had been awake.

And in a very bad mood.

So when it came down to it, Tsume didn't really mind the distraction that Rishito had provided when the group had entered the Hokage's office. Because even with the bandana still covering his silver roots, Tsunade had immediately begun looking between the eight year old and his father suspiciously. It hadn't really helped that Anko found it hilarious. So it was up to Tsume to remind the Hokage that she was actually being rude and probably scaring the boy by staring at him for almost ten minutes.

But the Hokage didn't respond to her poignant coughing.

Or the subtle growls coming from the two Inuzuka dogs still standing guard by the door.

Or Rin's attempts at instigating conversation.

She was still staring at the kid.

Tsume really hoped it was just a combination of their early morning meeting and a lack of sleep on the Hokage's part because it was becoming ridiculous.

Tsunade was finally snapped out of it when the door to her office slammed open. "Kakashi-sensei! Shizune said you were back! Can you go yell at Naruto? He's ignoring me."

Everyone in the room, but Tsume turned to look at the new arrival and Rishito's eyes widened eagerly when he recognized the pink haired girl.

"He's still at it?" Tsunade grumbled, turning away from both her apprentice and the kid standing in front of her.

"I tried to talk to him again this morning but he just brushed past me and took off to his training field. I would have gone after him but Shizune told me Kakashi-sensei was back."

"Why is he ignoring you?" Kakashi asked, dumbfounded.

"Some jerk hit him two days ago! And he hasn't wanted to talk to any of us about it so now he's ignoring us," Sakura told him furiously.

"That, that has to wait," Tsunade interrupted gaining alarmed looks from every single adult in the room. She was poignantly ignoring the hard glare her student was sending her; Sakura had perfected the look in a miraculously short period of time. "We're going to deal with it this afternoon. First I need to speak with Kakashi and Rin," she said quickly, before Sakura could go off on another rant at her – she had gotten really good at those too.

"But-"

"In a few hours. First, why don't you and Anko take Rishito here on a tour while I talk to his parents-"

"Mother," Rin said quickly.

"Whatever. The two of you take him on a tour. When you're done, you can go up to his training grounds. Since Jiraiya is there, he can go over what Anko and Naruto have been working on and that way we can decide by tonight whether or not she can return to training him. Hana you're dismissed as well, but Tsume I want you to stay here," Tsunade said quickly before anyone could interrupt her.

"But-"

"Sakura please! I'm giving you the day off and the chance to go interrupt his training; what more do you want right now? I will speak with Kakashi once we've handled our immediate business," Tsunade stated, sighing tiredly.

"Fine," Sakura muttered, turning to walk out of the room. Anko quickly grabbed both Rishito and Hana's arms and took off after the pink haired girl.

Just as the door closed behind them, Tsunade distinctly heard Anko happily suggest that they take Rishito to the Academy first so that he could meet Iruka.

"Deidara attacked?" Rin asked, bringing Tsunade's attention back to her.

"Who?"

"They said a blond man who worked with explosives attacked here the night of the festival. That was Deidara," Rin said, looking at Tsunade seriously.

"Okay. What does that mean? You said we should expect mild harassment from Kisame. This was not mild harassment."

"No. And Deidara shouldn't have come here. Naruto isn't on his target list. He had no reason to come here," Rin added.

"Have they changed targets?"

"I…I don't know. I don't know why they would. Kisame's attack last spring shouldn't have been enough to switch them. I haven't heard anything to suggest that they changed targets either."

"Who haven't you heard anything from? Who's your contact in the Akatsuki?" Tsunade asked, already knowing the answer.

"Sasori of the Red Sand."

Or not.

"Who?"

"Sasori was Orochimaru's partner before he left the Akatsuki. He tracked me down shortly after Itachi joined the Akatsuki. He had apparently heard enough from Orochimaru to know that I would…hold a grudge against Itachi because of his actions. He told me that because he was from Konoha and could have contacts within the village, Itachi would be going after Naruto."

"Excuse me? How did he hear about you?"

"From Orochimaru. They'd approached me before Tsunade. Orochimaru told them that I was there when the seal was performed. That I was the only person outside of Konoha who had been. I hadn't given them anything but with Itachi there? I told the Third. It wasn't like I was acting on my own," Rin insisted.

"Okay, start from the beginning. How did you build off that to get more information from this Sasori?"

"Sasori was angry. Kyuubi had been one of his targets when he was with Orochimaru. It was like a demotion when a newcomer was given the Kyuubi as his target instead. Sasori wanted to discredit Itachi. He traded information about the Akatsuki, most of it vague, and gave me a heads up whenever Itachi was acting in Fire Country. In return, I fed him mostly outdated information about Itachi's abilities."

"Rin…did you not bother to factor in the possibility that he might succeed?" Tsunade asked angrily.

"There was no reason to," Kakashi answered instead.

"And I never actually gave him something he could really use. Just what the Third told me I could pass on. Sasori never gained enough to actually use against someone like Itachi," Rin added.

"But now we have another pair going after Naruto apparently."

"No. That's the problem. Deidara is _Sasori's_ new partner. Either he finally got something to use against Itachi, but not from me, or he Deidara are acting on their own," Rin explained.

"What are the chances that they've just left the organization?" Tsume asked.

"Low. Sasori was angry that Itachi was accepted and that he got such a high target, but he never endangered the organization. He only gave me information about Itachi's movements. On rare occasions, small things like their timeline, but he never even explained that. He never endangered Akatsuki's mission. I don't see what he would have to gain by leaving it and going after a jinchuriki on his own. They can't use them on their own," Rin said, not looking away from Tsunade.

"What are the chances this Deidara just got as bored as Kisame?"

Rin finally looked away from an unresponsive Tsunade to answer Tsume. "I don't think he'd risk hitting Konoha if that was the case. I think one of their targets is the jinchuriki in Sunagakure, the one Naruto fought. Deidara would probably have taken it out on him. This doesn't make sense because unless they've switched targets, then Deidara _is_ risking their position within the Akatsuki."

"And let me guess, you have no way of confirming that, do you?" Tsunade managed to bite out. "Because if Sasori has managed to knock Uchiha out of the running then he has no reason to come tell you what's going on. Very nicely done, both of you. Really."

"Hokage-sama-"

"Oh shut it, Tsume. You're dismissed. Kakashi, be back here this evening so we can talk about Naruto and what we're doing next. Rin. Do not leave town. We're going to talk again very soon. If I hear you've left, I'll send ANBU after you. Now get out."

Before Rin could open her mouth to argue, Kakashi grabbed her arm and disappeared from the office leaving Tsume facing Tsunade. "She had news for you, you know," Tsume said.

"About what? Another screw up like this? We might have a completely different team after Naruto and I doubt Rin managed to get any real information about Sasori while she dealing with him. We don't even know the man's abilities."

Tsume remained silent while Tsunade fumed for several more moments before easily pointing out, "You never asked her that. For all you know, she does. Itachi's been thwarted once because of Sasori's information. Maybe it was only one delay, but it was a delay. And it was one we got because the Third decided it was worth the risks."

"Didn't I tell you you were dismissed?" Tsunade asked, glaring as she slouched down into her seat behind her desk.

Tsume snorted lightly and rolled her eyes at Tsunade's behavior before walking out and taking her dogs with her to let Tsunade cool down for a bit.

"Is everything okay?"

Tsume looked up and nodded when she saw Shizune approaching cautiously. "Keep people out of her way for a few hours. And look for Rin this afternoon. I know she brought all the information they had on that plague. It sounds like it's getting bad," she said. "And what was Haruno talking about when she said someone hit Uzumaki?"

"Oh that," Shizune said quietly, glancing away as her mouth furrowed angrily. "It was just some Chuunin. He ran into Naruto and Yuugao when she was escorting him to the Harunos' funeral. Naruto looked away and when he turned around, the man punched him. Now he won't say anything."

"The man or Naruto?"

"Both actually. The man's been silent since it happened. Naruto's been avoiding his friends because Shikamaru and Kiba saw it happen," Shizune explained.

"My son did? How much did he see?"

"As far as I know, he was just down the street when it happened. I think he just saw Naruto get hit and take off. According to Shikaku nothing particularly telling was said during the short skirmish."

"Thank you," Tsume nodded, glancing down at her dog before walking off again.

**X**

"Kakashi, when was the last time-"

"July. Right after we got back from Kumogakure. I had a small break before Tsunade started sending me out on missions again. That was why I had Anko start training Naruto. When was the last time Sasori spoke with you?" Kakashi asked, leaning up against the railing of the rooftop he had taken them too – he wasn't exactly sure where they were, just that it was far enough that Tsunade couldn't sneak up on them and hurt them.

Rin hummed in concentration as she counted off on her fingers. "Maybe August, early? He never mentioned anything about the festival. Just said that Itachi seemed to have Kisame cowed into submission and that he didn't think Itachi would be willing to risk an early confrontation," she said. "I haven't had time to worry about it. We've been all over the place trying to contain the plague. Which reminds me, if you start feeling sick, tell me right away. You really shouldn't have come into that town unprepared."

Kakashi frowned at her answer. Unless Sasori had decided to try to throw Rin off, then nothing had changed when he had met with her. Which meant something had changed in under a month. Of course, Deidara was apparently as impulsive as Kisame. And he had more of a flare for destruction. And he doubted Sasori actually had that much control over his newer partner, he had never seemed like the type to have that kind of power. "Deidara could still have acted on his own," he finally offered. "Or maybe he was trying to make Itachi's job harder by scaring us into increasing our guard."

"If that's the case, I hope Sasori decides to show up and beg forgiveness with some really good information," Rin huffed.

**X**

Anko snickered as she walked through the halls of the Academy with Sakura and Rishito. Although a part of her had wanted to be in on the meeting with the Hokage, she had quickly decided that this was a far better way to spend her time. Especially if it ended with her being able to see Iruka and go back to training Naruto in just one afternoon's time.

And Sakura's display in the Hokage's office meant that Naruto really would be okay because his friends were standing up for him. That was absolutely necessary since shit would probably hit the fan soon and he was going to need his friends with him when that happened.

And Kakashi would make sure that he went to his friends if anything happened. Because at the very least it was something that Kakashi could do. If the littlest Uchiha's defection had taught Kakashi anything, it was to make sure Naruto wouldn't do the same. And Naruto was far more likely to go to his friends in the first place because he valued them more than Sasuke had.

And now she could relax for the afternoon while giving the council something else to obsess over _and_ seeing Iruka. Such a wonderful way to spend her time, she grinned to herself as she knocked on the door of Iruka's classroom a little baffled by how silent it was inside. "Oh wait, they must be outside right now," she muttered when no one answered. "Let's try the training field. Maybe he'll let you show off whatever move it was you showed Kakashi."

"I learned bunshin," Rishito said proudly.

"Your mother's taught you jutsu?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Just that one. She doesn't want to teach me very much because I don't think she's supposed to. But she taught me some chakra exercises too," Rishito answered happily as Anko led them back out of the Academy.

"How old are you?"

"I'll be nine soon."

"So you'd probably be in Konohamaru-kun's class then. That's the class that Iruka's teaching right now. Do you think you'll be joining the Academy soon? Or are you not going to become a ninja?"

"I want to, but my mom doesn't really want me to. She doesn't like the council," Rishito admitted.

"Don't blame her."

Anko looked over in surprise when she heard her thoughts echoed in Sakura's voice.

"What?" Sakura asked defensively. "They blocked Naruto's promotion for something that didn't even have to do with him. If that's how petty they are then I don't blame Rin-san. Was your dad a ninja too?" she added turning back to Rishito.

"Umm…"

"Yeah he is," Anko said, grinning as she pulled off Rishito's bandana.

"Hey, they said not to do that here!" Rishito panicked as he began trying to retrieve it. He could already hear voices as they were approaching the training fields.

Anko grinned and pulled the bandana back over Rishito's head as she turned to Sakura, only to find the girl standing stone still. The younger girl stared for a moment longer before she began laughing uncontrollably. "It isn't that funny," Rishito pouted.

"You'd think it was funny too if you were one of his students. You'll get the same reaction out of Naruto," Anko told him.

"Why?"

"I'm sorry, it's just, Kakashi-sensei? As a dad?"

"He wasn't around much," Rishito said, turning away unhappily.

"Oh don't worry," Sakura promised, hurrying to catch up and slinging an arm around Rishito's shoulders. "He's just weird sometimes. But you have a cool dad. Does he want you to be back here?"

"Don't know. He told me it was up to mom. I don't think he'll say anything if she doesn't want me to."

"Just give Tsunade ten minutes. You'll be in the Academy in a week," Anko said.

"So where did you grow up then? Hifukidake?"

"No. I mean we were there sometimes. But I mostly stayed in Anraku," Rishito answered. "Mom stopped taking me to Hifukidake about two years ago. She said I got in too much trouble there," he added grinning widely.

"What kind of trouble can you get in at the capital?"

"I used to sneak into the Daimyo's compound with Kushu and make Kano train me. He was only a guard then. Kushu knew him because he was a performer and she worked with them sometimes. I was gonna try and sneak there a few weeks ago when mom was out with Suzu but she made Sho promise not to let me so I couldn't. It meant I couldn't come to the festival."

"Don't worry. Kushu wasn't allowed to go to the festival either," Anko told him.

"Kushu?"

"A Nami. That's the family Rishito and Rin stay with in Anraku," Anko answered. "I don't think Kushu is her real name, but I don't remember it now."

"It's Kushoku. But I don't ever call her that anyways. You'd like her I bet. She's only a little older than you. Hey! Is that that Iruka guy?"

"You've heard of Iruka-sensei?" Sakura asked in surprise.

"Well, dad mentioned that he taught you guys," Rishito explained quietly as Iruka and Ebisu approached them.

"Is this a new student?" Ebisu asked curiously. When Rishito turned to him, Ebisu grimaced slightly, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "Never mind. You must be Rin's son."

"He's yours for the day at least," Anko grinned. "And maybe the week. And maybe til graduation," she continued. "I hear his bunshin is already better than Naruto's!"

"That wouldn't take much," Iruka said, chuckling. "If it would really be okay with your mother you can join us for the exercises at least. Udon is out sick so we have an odd number."

"Can I?" Rishito asked, eagerly turning to Anko.

"Yeah, I'll hold your mom off if she gets angry 'bout it."

Anko snickered as Ebisu walked with Rishito back towards the class and introduced him. Her grin widened when Hanabi seemed to recognize Rishito's name and volunteered to be his partner. "She's being a good sport today," Iruka commented. "I hope she isn't going to try and embarrass him."

"Not like she'd be able to anyways."

"Hey Anko, where's Anraku?"

Anko and Iruka both turned to Sakura in confusion as she looked up at them with a surprisingly serious look on her face. "What?"

"Anraku. That's where he said he's been staying right? I just wondered where it was," Sakura said.

"You remember the bridge to Wave Country right? Anraku is just a few miles south of there. One of the biggest cities on the coast. When you're older and have vacation, you should check it out. I hadn't been there in a few years but it's really grown since then, very nice looking," Anko answered.

Sakura nodded absentmindedly but Anko doubted she was even paying attention anymore. "So how is Naruto?" she asked, turning to Iruka instead.

"Wouldn't know. He's apparently avoiding me," Iruka told her. "I think he's still worried about what happened after the festival."

"You didn't check in on him after he got punched?" Anko asked in surprise.

"He what? Who did he get in a fight with?" Iruka asked. "It wasn't Kiba or one of the rookies was it? He's been getting along with them better since the Chuunin exams."

"Wait, you didn't know?" Sakura spoke up. "Some stupid Chuunin punched him when he was on the way to my parents' funeral. He ended up not going. Now he isn't talking to any of us either."

"A Chuunin punched him. A new one?"

"No apparently this guy was older. Kiba and Shikamaru both saw it. No one told you?" Sakura asked, frowning as Iruka stared at her.

"Let me get this straight. Naruto was on the way to your parents' funeral when one of _our_ ninja punched him. For no apparent reason?" Iruka repeated.

"I didn't see it. Kiba and Shikamaru said the guy just walked up, grabbed his arm and started yelling at him. When Naruto didn't respond he was punched. And then he took off. I mean I don't blame him for not going to the funeral, but he's been ignoring us since then. And Tsunade-shishou isn't doing anything about it," Sakura said before adding quietly. "Even less than I thought if she didn't send for you either."

Iruka looked over at her sternly and Sakura quickly glanced away. "I'm sure the Hokage is doing what she can right now. Things are not okay right now. She has larger security concerns. And as worried as all of us – _including_ Tsunade-sama – are about Naruto, she has to focus on them first. Don't be so quick to doubt her."

"So if he's ignoring all his friends and you, he's not staying with any of you. Is he still staying at the tower?" Anko asked, cutting them off.

"Both of us are. Tsunade-shishou said he had to stay until Kakashi-sensei got back, but he didn't want to stay that long," Sakura said. "He keeps locking his door so I can't get in to talk with him."

"Good move. Kakashi'll have to check his apartment before Naruto can go back to it," Anko muttered, missing the second part of Sakura's comment.

"Hey, one of his windows was broken on the day of the festival; can you get that fixed before he goes back?" Sakura asked.

"On the day of the festival? It had already happened?" Iruka asked, grimacing.

"He said some guy…oh wait. They broke it on purpose didn't they?" she asked looking up at Anko.

"Probably. Not the first time it's happened."

"Anko!"

"Don't look at me like that, she already knows. Don't underestimate your students so much," Anko said, turning to Iruka with a frown. "The Hyuuga probably know too."

"Yeah, I think Shino does too. I think he figured it out after our exam in Kumogakure."

"Does Tsunade-sama know that?" Iruka asked in surprise.

"She knows I know. I don't know about the others," Sakura admitted before a shout came from the training field.

Iruka turned away from the two young women and took off towards his students to break up a fight that had broken out between Konohamaru and another student. "I'm gonna get Rishito and see if he wants to come with us to see Naruto or stay here and meet Naruto tonight. Wait here, alright?" Anko told Sakura as she walked off after him.

**X**

Tsume made her way back from the Hokage's office wondering what needed to be done next. She didn't entirely disagree with Tsunade's anger, but she felt it was directed at the wrong pair. It would be far more worthwhile if the Hokage would take it out on the Council instead of Kakashi and Rin. And although she didn't doubt that they were the actual target of the Hokage's anger already, she felt the timing of her return had given the Hokage an excuse to use it against someone else, and that wasn't something she had wanted.

She doubted the other clan heads would want it either since they were ready to work with the Hokage against the Council. Hiashi had even sent his youngest daughter to the Academy so that he could complain to the Hokage about the Council's management of it. And Inoichi had seemed ready to broach the topic of the Council's overuse of mind blocks on several particular shinobi; although, Tsume was starting to think that was unnecessary if the others were as successful as Anko in apparently breaking them.

And of course, the simple matter of the Kyuubi.

Because if Kiba's current argument with his older sister was anything to go by, they would be dealing with an entire generation's questions concerning its defeat. Or its sealing depending on how quickly the rest of their group put together the clues. And that would just lead to questions about Uzumaki and Tsume couldn't wait until he was dragged into it for real because there _would_ be action on that front. Tsunade was not likely to react well when she finally got a hold of the brat's records from Hiashi – if he still had them.

"Are the two of you planning on finishing any time soon?" she finally asked pulling Kiba and Hana's attention to herself. Kiba's teammates and the other genin team with them sat up in notice as well as Tsume finally stepped into the front room of her house, leaning down to pick up Akamaru's sleepy form – Kiba had probably over done it in training again.

"She said Kakashi-sensei was back," Kiba stated looking at his mother.

"And why did this lead to a fight?"

"We weren't really fighting. I just wanted to know if you guys saw Naruto when you got back but she wouldn't tell me," he said sheepishly.

"We didn't see Uzumaki. But the Hokage was going to speak with Kakashi about whatever it was that happened while we were gone. So why don't you start by telling me exactly what _did_ happen and how it was handled."

"My…my father said the man was in prison but that he wouldn't tell them anything."

"What would there be for him to tell? Shizune said the same thing but if the man was just taking his anger out on a convenient target then what more is there to know," Tsume asked Ino.

"He said there was something odd with the man. He wouldn't really tell me anything; I just overheard him mention it to Nara-san. He wanted to know if Nara-san noticed anything odd about the way the man approached Naruto. If it really was convenience or if he was singling Naruto out specifically."

"It was you and Kiba who saw it, right?" Tsume asked turning to Shikamaru.

"We were just down the street."

"It wasn't like Naruto did anything to get in the guy's way. I wouldn't have even noticed Naruto if Akamaru hadn't said he smelled him coming our way. He was with some chick-"

"More specific than that please. Who was she? Obviously not Shizune."

"My dad called her Uzuki."

"ANBU then," Tsume muttered. "Uzuki wouldn't have let it happen. Why were they caught off guard?"

"I told you, Naruto didn't do anything to get in the guy's way. He was just trailing behind that chick," Kiba paused when his mother growled at his language, "That woman. And then the guy came up and grabbed his arm and started yelling at him. Naruto turned around to look at her for help and she was moving towards him but when Naruto turned back around to face the guy, he got punched. He took off a minute later before we made it over there. And he hasn't talked to any of us since then," Kiba said, growling angrily as he remembered the shocked look on Naruto face when the blond had caught his own reflection in the mirror.

"She also said someone named Jiro went after him," Shikamaru added.

"Well, I can help a bit then," Hana said. "But only Kiba and Shikamaru."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll take them to Jiro's so they can hear from him that Naruto was okay after it happened. If he took off after Naruto then he would have stayed with Naruto until the Hokage either sent for them or came to them," Hana told her mother.

"How do you know this guy?" Kiba asked suspiciously.

"You know him too. He was my genin teammate. You used to hate it when we took over the training yard so that you couldn't use it," Hana said, grinning when her younger brother let out a growl.

"That's 'cuz you weren't using it to train," Kiba shot back, gaining a low growl from his sister. "Let's go then," he stated, moving impatiently towards the door.

"I won't be here when you get back. Kiba take the day off training for the rest of today and tomorrow unless you're with your team. The rest of you, take a break as well, you look like you need it," Tsume muttered, heading out of the room to put Akamaru out back with the other dogs.

"She didn't tell us anything either," Ino muttered as she and the others walked out with Kiba and his sister.

"Why do you all think there's something to tell?"

"Because according to Sakura there is. She wouldn't be so angry at the Hokage if there wasn't something we weren't being told but that Sakura knew," Ino said looking up with a frown on her face.

"Or maybe Haruno is just as stressed out as the rest of you. More so actually. Her parents did just die, or have you already forgotten that?" Hana asked ignoring the fact that half of the teens in front of her looked like they didn't buy her explanation.

Ino rolled her eyes at the brief reproach and took off pulling Hinata with her. Chouji and Shino followed quietly behind after one last wave at their teammates and Hana.

"So, uh, how did your mission go?" Kiba asked attempting make small talk as his sister wearily led them back through the village towards Jiro's dorm.

Hana sighed and frowned as she thought back on the mission. "The Daimyo is going to need our medics' help very soon if the town we saw was anything to go by. The plague is spreading and it's getting harder for their people to treat everyone," she finally said not wanting to reinforce the belief Ino had voiced. Even if she knew what Sakura had figured out, it wasn't all the teens weren't being told. Especially since most of their parents were apparently in on it. "But we found Rin. She's here to talk with Tsunade-sama about the group who attacked and the plague so Tsunade-sama will have a better idea of how to act."

"Hey when do I get elemental training? Naruto's already started his," Kiba asked completely changing the subject.

Hana wasn't sure if he had done it on purpose or if he had already gotten bored with something not directly connected to his training. "You'll have to ask mom. I never did but that was because I went through the medic and vet courses instead. Naruto's just going through it to give him more to do since his team is broken up and they don't have missions. I don't think you actually want to be in his position so don't act jealous about his training."

"They can't do missions just because Sasuke was a prick and ran off?"

"Not until the Hokage decides to appoint a replacement for them. At least not unless she decides to give them D class missions, they could do those on their own. But they're both Chuunin and she wouldn't waste them on D class missions when they're better off undergoing training anyways."

"Naruto isn't technically Chuunin," Shikamaru pointed out, ignoring the fact that he had heard other adults make the same slip up.

"He should be. The Hokage knows that. She isn't going to treat him like a genin just because she can't promote him on her own just yet. Now when we go in let me talk please. I doubt Jiro would like it if I let the two of you pepper him with questions about his job, got it?"

Hana received a low rumbling, "Yeah, yeah," from both boys and shrugged, not expecting much more from the two. Shaking her head at them, she reached up and knocked on the door.

Jiro appeared a moment later, lazily opening the door with eyes closed blearily. "Please tell my I don't have an extra shift today. Wait, Hana?"

"They said they heard you went after Uzumaki a few days ago when he got punched. He won't talk to them so they want to know he's okay," Hana said, grinning at him. Really, it was his own fault for going into ANBU.

"Sure, he's fine," Jiro answered unconvincingly.

"Obviously he isn't," Kiba growled back.

"Look he was pissed off that a ninja would take his anger out on him. He'll be okay and the Hokage has us watching out for him when he isn't in training. He'll probably be pissed off for a bit longer. If he's ignoring you, it's probably because he doesn't wanna take it out on you," Jiro said, frowning at Kiba. "Besides, he's training like ten hours a day with Jiraiya-sama. I doubt he's even awake long enough in the evenings to come find you guys."

"Ten hours? Jiro, we have standards and that's pushing it."

"Like I said, it knocks him out in the evenings. That means he stays inside more and the Hokage doesn't need to worry about him running into someone else who might not be so forgiving," Jiro paused when he received two very angry growls in response to his comment. "You people need to stop making me talk about Uzumaki. I keep getting yelled at for saying the wrong stuff. I'm just saying that people are on edge and he's an easy target for a lot of them. I wouldn't be taking night watches in the tower if I had a problem guarding him or following him when he sneaks out in the mornings."

"He's sneaking out? Have you told the Hokage?" Hana asked.

"I told my boss. Ibiki said not to worry about it unless Naruto looks like he might get in trouble. He's not stupid enough to get in trouble so we don't need to worry the Hokage more.

"Besides, if you're back, it means so is Hatake. They have business that they need to take care of with him so Naruto probably won't be training as much over the next few weeks," Jiro added with a shrug.

"Jiro that's ridiculous. One ANBU isn't enough if these guys come back. Being out on his own with Jiraiya-sama is one thing. Being out with just you when no one else knows where you are is just stupid. You saw what they did when Itachi came back and attacked Kakashi," Hana stated, staring at her former teammate indignantly.

"Wait, these guys are after _Naruto_? Is this the same group who attacked us at the river? Is that why people are taking it out on him? Are they with Orochimaru?" Shikamaru asked in quick succession before anyone could shut him up.

"Ah shit. This is what I mean. We say too much even when we aren't trying," Jiro muttered.

"Are they?" Shikamaru repeated.

"We don't know," Hana said. "They _might_ be after Naruto. They _might_ be after Kakashi. They _might_ be after whoever becomes a convenient target within our village. We really don't know. Now let's go."

"But he just said-"

Hana cut her younger brother off with a glare and physically steered Shikamaru and Kiba away from Jiro's door. "You've heard that Naruto's okay and probably just too tired to visit with you. That was what we came for and we got it. Now stop. Just leave him alone for another week or two while the Hokage and Kakashi sort out a few things. When that's settled, he'll probably have more time for socializing. Just don't take after their example and start training for ten hours a day regularly. Someone really needs to tell Jiraiya to lay off a bit," she told them, trailing off and muttering angrily with the last line.

Kiba snorted and glanced over at Shikamaru saying, "He's too lazy to try something like that anyways."

"I was talking about you. I saw Akamaru when I got back. Just because you're still pissed off about not being with them in Cloud, doesn't mean you can abuse Akamaru during training."

Kiba paused long enough to glare up at his sister before speeding up his pace to leave her behind. "I'm not still angry about that," he shouted behind her completely ruining any chance he had of convincing her that he was telling the truth.

"It wouldn't have changed anything Kiba. Mom already told you that. He wouldn't have promoted regardless of how well he preformed. Don't make it worse for him by feeling guilty," Hana shouted back, leaving Shikamaru behind as she walked after her brother.

Shikamaru had stopped walking anyways so he just stood still as the siblings left him behind. After a few minutes of staring at his hands in thought, he headed back to his house. Maybe he'd get as lucky as Ino in overhearing their parents inconveniently.

* * *

**Agent's Spiel:** You know the deal.

Reviews:

GreyGryph, AznPuffyHair, Azamiko, show me the stars, evil genus, DarkRavie, Suki1, Kage Husha, dragondancer711, Water-Soter,


	16. Chapter 16

**Agent's Spiel**: Sorry for all the delays and thanks for the patience. Due to a computer crash, I've lost ...well everything that wasn't online. Getting back to writing this might be a _little_ rocky since I don't have my notes but I'll do my best. This chapter is kind of boring (for the reasons above) but we jump straight back into that thing called plot next chapter I swear.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

"Why have they been training up here? It doesn't have as much room as the lower training fields?" Anko mused as she followed Sakura and Rishito towards Naruto's training field.

"Fewer eyes," a voice to her left muttered.

Anko snickered as Sakura and Rishito spun on their heels in surprise at the other ninja's sudden appearance. "Yuugao, he has you watching Naruto even when he's with Jiraiya?"

"Just a precaution. It'll probably be lifted in another week or so," the other woman answered, glancing briefly at Sakura and Rishito before waving all three forward. "I don't think Jiraiya wants interruptions, but the kid needs one," Yuugao added before disappearing again.

"Who has her watching Naruto?" Sakura asked suspiciously, pausing in her approach.

"Ibiki probably. If not him, then Tsunade does. Now let me do the talking, if Jiraiya's in a bad mood you don't want to be the target," Anko said when Jiraiya looked up away from Naruto to squint at them.

"Back already? Did you actually find Rin?" he called over.

Sakura frowned when Naruto glanced briefly over at them and then turned quickly away, apparently he wasn't quite ready to stop ignoring her on his own – not that she couldn't take care of that herself. "She was meeting with the Hokage when we left. You're supposed to observe our training and give me clearance to work with Naruto again," Anko answered.

"You can have him. Brat won't stop moping; I haven't been able to write a word in over a week."

Anko expected that to at least get a glare out of Naruto but instead he remained staring rather steadfastly at the edge of the field. "If that's the best he can pull off then he needs more practice moping," she quipped, finally getting a reaction out of the blond as he turned to stare at her in confusion. "If you're really done with him for the day then I'm taking them to see if Kakashi's done with the Hokage. I think he should treat us to ramen."

Naruto frowned when Jiraiya simply walked off the field humming to himself, instead of replying. "As if he's one to talk about moping. He's been acting like a jerk all week; won't say a damn word to me since you guys left," Naruto muttered, scratching at the back of his head before his eyes settled on Rishito. "Are you Rin and Kakashi-sensei's kid?" he asked in confusion.

"How'd you figure that out faster than me?" Sakura whined, ignoring the fact that she knew exactly why Jiriaya hadn't been able to say a word to Naruto.

"Wasn't it kind of obvious in that picture?"

"Not really," Rishito deadpanned at Naruto's reasoning. "The only real resemblance is our hair."

"Eh? No, I mean you probably think you look a lot like your mom 'cuz of the cheeky things, but other than that you look like him," Naruto answered gaining a nod from Anko.

Rishito studied the two for a moment before frowning when he realized that Sakura seemed to agree with them. "But everyone says I'm like mom."

"Have they met your dad? I mean you don't act much like him so maybe they're referring to that instead of appearance since they don't have anything to compare it to?" Sakura offered when she realized just how baffled the younger boy really was.

Naruto seemed to come to the same realization and quickly changed the subject, "Weren't we gonna make his dad buy us ramen? I haven't eaten this morning."

"Idiot!" Sakura screeched hitting him over the head. "You won't really get anything out of training if you don't take better care of yourself. And don't act like you haven't been spending the past week avoiding me."

"I wasn't really, but you were already angry with me and then I missed the funeral. I figured my skull was safer if I waited a few days before getting within arms reach of you," Naruto explained, managing a straight face far better than Anko had expected of him. She smirked as Sakura's eyes twitched slightly and her fist clenched momentarily before relaxing.

"You're still an idiot, now let's go get ramen. I missed breakfast too when I heard Kakashi-sensei was back," she said, admitting the last part in a whisper to Rishito. Her smile faded when she realized that Rishito was staring at them with a baffled look on his face. "What?"

"Neither of you are anything like Kakashi said you were," Rishito admitted, still looking at them oddly.

"Eh? He told you about us?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Well...not directly. I'm not supposed to leave Anraku and he doesn't normally come there. Mom sees him and then relays stories and stuff. Mom's been censoring them for a while," Rishito admitted.

"Oh right, the 'stacked' incident," Sakura giggled. "I think that was just bad karma for reading that dumb book while he was supposed to be teaching us."

"It's not dumb," Anko interrupted looking put out at her lack of involvement in the conversation. "Now let's go find Kakashi, you two aren't the only ones who haven't eaten today and I've been traveling all night."

**X**

The four spent an hour searching for Kakashi before finally giving up and getting ramen on their own. Sakura had spent the first half of the lunch grilling Rishito about Anraku before Anko finally put a stop to it by telling Sakura to visit there herself. As soon as Sakura had quieted, Rishito turned the tables by grilling Sakura and Naruto about the Academy and their time as genin.

"How about the grand tour?" Anko asked Rishito as stood up and stretched before paying Teuchi.

"How much more is there? I saw pretty much everything while we were looking for Kakashi," Rishito pointed out, yawning as he walked out with Sakura.

"We skipped the training fields," Anko answered before mirroring his yawn. "And this is what I get for barely sleeping while we were out of town," she muttered. "Hey brat, what was the other picture you got from Lian?"

"Um...it kind of, disappeared," Naruto mumbled, scratching at the back of his neck as he turned away.

"You mean you lost it," Sakura deadpanned.

"No! I totally didn't. I had managed to hold onto it the whole night. I know I did because when I got changed the next morning I set it with that yukata. And then I got back that night and I was _starving_ because I hadn't eaten like all day, but Kakashi-sensei was there and we talked and then you came by and I didn't remember it again until the next morning but when I checked for it it was gone."

"In other words, Kakashi stole it."

"...Probably," Naruto admitted to Anko. "Which sucks 'cuz that means it might have been embarrassing to him."

"It shouldn't have been embarrassing. It was just kind of old."

"You saw it?" Sakura asked turning to Rishito in surprise.

"Kushu and I picked them out. We were supposed to find one where he wasn't wearing the mask for you two, but other than the one we sent for Anko that was the only one we could find. Actually you were in it too," he said, pointing to Anko.

"I was _in_ a photograph taken of Kakashi without his mask on?"

"Yeah. And...there's these other guys. They were off to the side with Mom. One was her age and the other was younger, like my age now. I remember when I was little, before I had seen dad, Kushu used to tell me he was my father even though I think it's just someone who worked with mom. I remember how confused I was when I finally met Kakashi and I said my mom was lying to me."

"Now I really want to see that photo. We could probably find the other guy in it," Sakura muttered.

"How old were you when you met your dad?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Hm...Four, no five."  
"And this is an inside conversation," Anko said suddenly, pushing Rishito along and leaving Naruto and Sakura to follow.

"What's with the rush?" Naruto asked, as he jogged along next to her.

"We were being watched. Just hold up until we're back at the tower. I'll leave you three there to catch up and I'll go find Kakashi and Rin, okay?" Anko told him, glancing over her back to make sure Sakura had heard as well.

"Why were we being followed?"

"You want the full list?" Anko asked sarcastically.

Sakura quieted at Anko's tone and focused on slipping through the afternoon crowd with the others. She noticed that Naruto, out of his usual jump suit, barely caught half the looks he usually did, but they were still there, just as mean as they probably always had been.

Anko took them along the same path she had taken just that morning but found Ibiki waiting for them. He was leaning casually at the bottom of the winding stairway. "Yuugao said you were heading back," he greeted, glancing briefly at Rishito before turning straight to Anko.

"That's who was following us?" Sakura asked.

"No," Anko shook her head and motioned for them to head up the stairs.

"Stay in your rooms for a couple of hours," Ibiki added as Naruto pulled Rishito past the older man.

"But we-"

"Kakashi or I'll come by to get you for dinner. Don't worry about it for now," Anko assured Sakura, patting her on the shoulder before pushing her firmly towards the stairs.

Sakura tried to loiter but neither Ibiki nor Anko said a word while she was in hearing distance. She grumbled to herself as she trailed along behind Naruto and Rishito on the way to their rooms. Rishito was quickly closing himself off, similar to his reaction when they had begun teasing him about his father, but this seemed to be less defensive. He was glancing nervously between Naruto and Sakura until Naruto casually hit him over the head. "You'll never be a ninja if you freak out about this stuff," Naruto stated firmly.

"Did you have to hit me to point that out?"

"You'll never be a ninja if you can't take a few hits," was the 'sage' answer Rishito received as Naruto walked on ahead of him.

"That's umm...his way of being nice," Sakura whispered as she stepped up next to Rishito. "He's trying really hard to act like nothing's getting to him but he's a really bad actor so it doesn't go well."

Rishito considered asking if that was what was wrong with her as well, but he figured if Naruto was avoiding the girl's punches he probably should as well. When they finally caught up to Naruto he was waiting outside the door to Sakura's room. Before she could even close the door behind them Naruto had already turned on Rishito. "Why didn't you meet Kakashi-sensei till you were like five? I mean I know he was in ANBU but did that really stop him from going to...where ever you were staying?"

"Naruto, did you think for even a moment that this might be a sensitive subject?" Sakura asked, frowning at him.

"It's not really," Rishito assured her. "I was just kind of confused that you didn't know already. I mean mom left before I was born because of the council and then...I never got the whole the story but I know he did something _really_ stupid. Like stupid enough that even Satumina-san thought it was stupid and he got punished for it. I think he might have actually been in jail for a while."

"Kakashi-sensei...was in jail?" Sakura asked while Naruto simply stared at the younger boy. "No way," he said after a moment, turning to Sakura and shaking his head in disbelief.

"No seriously. He got in trouble and wasn't allowed out of Konoha. I don't know what changed, mom hadn't been back to the village more than like twice since I was born, but the Hokage sent someone to get her at the capital and when she got back a month later he was with her. I totally didn't believe that he was my father because of Kushu's jokes" Rishito insisted.

"Do you know who the other guys were in that picture?" Sakura asked, swallowing thickly as she tried to wrap her head around what Rishito had told them.

"No, don't change the subject yet? Do you know anything about what he might have done?" Naruto asked leaning over to look straight at Rishito. "When were you born again? And when did this thing happen? When did he get to leave?"

"Umm, I was born in June, you would have been like four. It happened before that though, just by a month or two I think. He left...you would have been eight? Maybe. I had just turned five but mom had missed my birthday while she was here."

"Wait when you were four? That makes it that April or May? Eight years after Kyuubi's attack? Right?" Sakura asked suddenly.

"Yeah, that sounds right," Rishito answered nervously.

"Naruto I think she came back to treat Sasuke. He might have been released to go after Uchiha Itachi."

"What?"

"You remember how I kept going through our files? Right after Sasuke defected, I read his. Rin treated him after Itachi's attack. He was in the hospital for months before she was sent for. We'd have to check the dates but the massacre happened that winter. And even if Kakashi-sensei did something wrong...if it wasn't as bad as Itachi they might have pardoned him or something to go after Itachi," Sakura explained.

"We don't even know if Kakashi-sensei did something in the first place."

"Then why not let me change the subject?"

"Curiosity?" Naruto offered meekly.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Rishito piped up trying to break the tension. He was shocked when Sakura muttered, "It never seems to harm the fox."

"Are...are you allowed to talk about that?"

"You know?" Sakura asked in shock. "How do you know when I had to spend months figuring it out?"

"Months? I thought you guessed after the festival."

"That's not the point. How does he know?"

"I'm probably not supposed to know," Rishito admitted. "But I used to spend a lot of time at the capital when mom worked there. I would sneak in to visit with the guards with Kushu and...they talked about you. When mom realized what I had overheard she sent me to Anraku and wouldn't let me come back. That was like two years ago, right after you guys became genin."

"Seriously? You've known almost as long as I have; how is that fair?" Naruto spat out before catching himself and glancing cautiously at Sakura.

Sakura stared at Naruto in shock for a moment before turning to Rishito. "You're probably tired, Anko mentioned you had been traveling all night. Why don't you stay in here and take a nap? Naruto and I will be in the next room over if you need anything, alright?"

Without waiting for an answer, Sakura pulled Naruto out of the room leaving the baffled nine year old on his own.

* * *

**Agent's Spiel**: Was Kakashi in jail? Was he not? You might never know, this is one of those completely non-canon parts of the back story. If they ever get the nerve to ask Kakashi he will likely not answer them. (I think 21 is the only story in which I leave Kakashi's back story untouched).

Timeline is a bit wild (I had it cemented in my notes but now I'm recreating it...) The first chapter took place 6 months after Tsunade became Hokage. I'd add another 7-8 months for the stuff before that, and we've gone through almost 5 months story wise so that makes it more like a year and half but Rishito's rounding anyways.

And lastly, Naruto never told Sakura _when_ he found out about Kyuubi. He mentioned Mizuki explaining it but no timeline. This just pretty much cements the anti-authoritarian thing she's been focusing on for the past week in lieu of thinking about her parents' deaths.

Yeah, yeah, horrible ending point but this chapter has literally been rewritten 3 times. Like I said above, this has been a bit harder without my background notes and since this chapter is pretty much about background...you get the idea. It's also weird because both Sakura and Naruto are meant to be acting completely unlike themselves which seems to annoy readers a lot. I was gonna hold out for a longer chapter but I figured you guys had waited long enough, after this notes will be up on the blog as usual.


	17. Chapter 17

**Agent's Spiel: **Sorry for the second round of delays, nothing serious I'm just not good at multi-tasking. As soon as I can come up with an excuse that doesn't include me tying up my hands by knitting at my computer, I'll give you an excuse (in my defense the socks were totally worth it).

This chapter starts out _really_ talkie...sorry; actually it stays pretty dialogue heavy. I seem to have lost the ability to write good stuff other than dialogue (I'm not even saying my dialogue is that good, it's just better than the other stuff).

_Disclaimer_: I don't own **Naruto** or any characters from said manga. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and a number of other interested companies.

* * *

"You said Mizuki-sensei told you," Sakura stated as soon as they were securely in Naruto's room. She felt a bit bad about leaving Rishito so suddenly, but it was hard enough to get Naruto to talk about himself without someone he didn't really know being present.

"Yeah..."

"I thought that meant when he started teaching you at the Academy when you were like...I don't even know when he started teaching you. Why didn't you find out until after you graduated? No wait don't lie. How did you graduate in the first place? Your records say you failed the exam."

"Do we have to do this now?" Naruto asked edging away from her. "I mean he's kind of already confused and in a new city and we couldn't find his parents anywhere. I don't think we should leave him alone."

"Rishito's nine, he can handle taking a nap on his own. I don't know if you really don't think this is important or if you're just scared or what but I can't figure anything out if you're lying to me to."

Naruto glared at Sakura for a moment before sighing, "What is there to figure out?"

"The council is using you against Tsunade and you're in danger from the Akatsuki. I know we're not strong enough to take on the Akatsuki – even though I wish Tsunade would at least tell me what's being done about them – but maybe we can figure out a way to get the council off your back. When you get promoted we can start doing missions again; you remember those right? Where we actually get to use the skills we're learning right now? I think the council might have been doing the same thing to the Third as they're doing to Tsunade. If you can tell me...anything about the academy, your life, what you _actually know_ not about ramen or how much you like to train or how you want to become Hokage, maybe we can figure it out." Sakura paused in her rant to let out a deep sigh, glancing at Naruto long enough to make sure he was still looking at her. "As long as Tsunade is handling the council, I don't think she can focus on us and that means we're both stuck here as little more than students. How long can you take that?"

"Are you done yelling at me?" Naruto asked pouting at her.

"I'm not yelling and you know it," Sakura sniffed. "What's going on isn't fair! You know it and you just brush it off every time. That was the first time you've even gotten close to being angry about what happened to you. _We_ can do something about this but that means you have to help me."

Naruto remained silent as he considered Sakura's words, but she didn't give him much time before continuing.

"I know I was a bad teammate because I was so focused on Sasuke."

"You weren't-"

Sakura shook her head when Naruto tried to interrupt. "When you promised to bring him back I swore that I would help and when we became a team again I wouldn't repeat my mistakes. I'm scared that if we don't start working together now, that day might not come anyways and it will be partly our fault because we didn't do anything to stop the council from doing whatever it is they're trying to do. It's not like we can take them on entirely but we can at least remove ourselves from the picture. We can either be angry we're being ignored...like I've done for the last week, and probably cause even more problems for her," she admitted, "Or we can make sure she has nothing to worry about when it comes to us."

"What does that have to do with me and my graduation?" Naruto grumbled in embarrassment.

"You're lack of graduation is on record. But here you are a Genin. You _should_ be a Chuunin but you're not. I think it means they tried to do this before but the Third managed to get around it. If you can tell me what happened maybe we can find a way to repeat it the next time you take an exam. Kiba really wanted to work with us and since Shino was promoted you could probably take the next with them or even with Ino and Chouji. But if Tsunade can't find a way to work around them then it could take years and I know you don't want to stay a Genin that long."

"It's pointless," Naruto stated, holding up a hand before Sakura could gather her breath enough to retort. "The graduation thing was a fluke, well not the _not_ graduating part, I just failed the practical. But the other thing...the Third didn't really have anything to do with it and the fact that the council didn't step in probably meant I wasn't high on their list of easy targets or whatever."

"Is this your way of saying you won't tell me?"

"No. I failed the exam for the third time because I couldn't perform bunshin. Still can't actually, that's why I use Kage Bunshin so much even when Kakashi-sensei keeps telling me to cut it out. After the exam I was moping when Mizuki approached me and told me there was another way I could be promoted. He'd...I actually used to like him more than Iruka-sensei. Iruka'd yell at me and embarrass me in front of everyone when I did something wrong; I know he wasn't trying to and it wasn't personal but I'd had some shitty teachers and I didn't believe in the whole tough-love thing. Mizuki tried to get Iruka to let me graduate anyways and Iruka refused. So when Mizuki told me there was a way to be promoted I believed him because if I _didn't_ get promoted that was it; I knew I wasn't going to get a new chance with another class and there weren't any other options so I went along with it. He said I needed to find a secret scroll in the Hokage's quarters and prove that I could learn at least one jutsu from it. If I could do that I would be promoted. I took the scroll and learned Kage Bunshin in the time it took Iruka to find me."

"So you basically proved that you had a higher skill, that makes sense," Sakura reasoned.

"Sakura...I _stole_ a top secret scroll and learned a forbidden jutsu. Mizuki used me to get it out of the village. He planned on killing me and hiding the scroll so that he could sell it later. Iruka found me first and I think he realized what was going on but Mizuki showed up before we could get back to the village. He almost killed Iruka. And then he told me that I was Kyuubi reborn and that the scroll held the techniques used to seal me," Naruto paused uncomfortably, glancing at Sakura once before summing the rest up as quickly as he could, "I used Kage Bunshin and beat him up for that. Iruka promised me I would be promoted and gave me his forehead protector."

"You just skipped stuff," Sakura chided. "Oh well, that helps a bit. If he could blame the incident on Mizuki then it explains how you got off and someone performing Kage Bunshin instead of Bunshin probably would have justified promotion as long as it was the main skill blocking your graduation. Tsunade couldn't have pulled it off because the crap they were bringing up wasn't really _anyone's_ fault at least not someone she could blame publicly to any effect."

"It doesn't matter Sakura. I don't care if I don't get promoted any time soon. I only took the exam because it meant you could and you got promoted which made the hag look good. And Shino got promoted which probably made his family happy so it worked out. You said it yourself; if I remove myself from the picture then they don't have anything to complain about and she can focus on everything else. I don't care that the bastard punched me, I knew the minute that guy said it was Akatsuki that I would get blamed. You're focusing on what happened to me because you don't want to think about your parents and I don't have a clue how to help you with that; it's not exactly something I'll ever deal with. But I don't think I'd be helping you by letting you ignore it for something that will cause trouble-"

The sound of Sakura's slap echoed through Naruto's head drowning out the sound of the door slamming as Sakura stormed out. He couldn't see her exit either since she hadn't held back at all. He shook his head carefully as his vision remained blurry, "At least the hag remembers that no matter how fast it heals it still hurts, a lot."

"Um...are you okay?"

"Did she knock me out?" Naruto asked, staring up at Rishito in confusion.

Rishito shrugged, leaning up against the door frame sleepily. "Dunno, she came in and kicked me out. When I came in here you were looking kind of dazed, but then you talked so I don't think you could have been out long. I can see why you think I need to toughen up a bit; that probably would have crushed my skull."

"Word of advice, when you become a ninja don't piss off your teammates if they can put a dent in a brick wall but haven't learned to hold back yet," Naruto slurred, frowning as his vision refused to clear up all the way.

"I think I'll just avoid pissing them off completely."

"Are you trying to be funny?" Naruto frowned when Rishito's snicker was cut off by a yawn. "You said Sakura kicked you out right? You can nap in here for a few hours," he told the younger boy, pointing to the bed.

"What are you gonna do? You aren't allowed to leave right?"

"I'll just practice chakra control in the hall or something," Naruto sighed. He had been hoping that Kakashi's return would mean things were getting back to normal, but if his day so far had been a clue it was just going to get worse.

"Can I practice too?" Rishito asked eagerly.

"You know chakra control exercises? Did Rin teach you?"

"She kind of had to. Both her and dad are ninja so I have more chakra than most civilians. Kushu had to learn too 'cuz of that, 'cept I think only her dad was a ninja. Mom just taught both of us to avoid trouble," Rishito yawned again. "Never mind I'm taking that nap."

Naruto shook his head and slowly got to his feet as Rishito walked past and climbed into bed. He'd made it halfway through the door before he changed his mind and reentered the room, shutting the door behind him. Rishito watched through heavy lidded eyes as Naruto walked to the window of the room and opened it glancing to both sides and then up and down before turning back to Rishito. "You didn't see me leave; you were already asleep," he said with a smirk before hoisting himself out through the window and onto the wall of the tower.  
Inside the room, Rishito shot out of bed. He'd barely made it to the window before Naruto's hand reappeared, latching onto the glass with chakra and pulling the window shut and waving once more. Rishito frowned as the hand disappeared and considered following the older boy, or even going to get Sakura but decided he was too tired to deal with it. "I take it back. They're just like dad said they were," he muttered as he climbed back into the bed and shut his eyes.

**X**

Naruto managed a full hour to himself on the roof of the Administration building before one of his ANBU shadows decided to make their presence known. He stared back at the cloaked figure for a few minutes, unsure if he would be addressing the younger guy whose name he had never learned or the purple haired woman named Yuugao who was sorta friends with Anko. Once the complete silence from the guard was starting to make him twitchy, Naruto finally asked, "Do I have to go inside?"

A brief shake of the head from his guard had Naruto turning away completely to stare out at the village. He watched the activity of the busy streets below as the Academy's day ended and students poured out of the front gates. A few were greeted by parents, others ran out in groups of friends, and others drifted slowly away on their own. Even from the roof he could spot familiar forms like Konohamaru and Moegi who refused to leave a dark haired girl alone pulling her reluctant figure along towards the Academy's training fields. Iruka was standing near the gates with a woman in a familiar khaki coat laughing at the younger trio. Naruto stiffened when he heard his guard sigh and take a seat next to him on the railing.

"You could go say hello," the young man offered as he pointed towards the pair below.

"I'm supposed to be staying inside until some comes to tell me what happened this afternoon," Naruto said, turning to look at his companion.

"And yet you're up here and I'm not running off to tell Ibiki just yet. As for this afternoon, you were being followed by a Jounin who has very close ties to the Council. If Anko hadn't noticed and brought the three of you here then Yuugao would have."

"I thought you usually worked mornings. You're the one who follows me when I go out to train, right?"

"It's Jiro. And I was supposed to be off until tomorrow morning. But I got woken up by your friend Kiba and that Nara kid this morning and couldn't go back to sleep so I gave Yuugao a break. Morino's running us ragged watching out for you," Jiro replied with tired grin.

"It's stupid. I'm safe here. Why's he wasting two of you on me?"

"They got in, twice. Three times if you count your run in with Kisame. We can't risk those assumptions about safety."

Naruto glared at Jiro for a moment before turning away in a huff. He stared at Anko and Iruka below before turning around completely to stare at the passive mountain behind him. Tsunade's facade, still under construction, stared down at him from next to the Fourth's.

"Hey," he said suddenly turning around to look at Jiro again. "Why's it just the two of you? I thought missions were slow right now 'cuz the old lady wanted you guys to stay in the village."

"Morino trusts us."

"_Just_ you two?"

Jiro gritted his teeth for a moment at the slight snarl on Naruto's face. The kid was quicker than he looked. "Well not just us," he reasoned, "but we were both there the day of the festival and he figured you would be more comfortable with us," he added when Naruto's face remained doubtful.

"Seriously, out of all his people he can only come up with two of you who'll volunteer to watch out for me? I thought you guys were supposed to be professional. Or do the rest of them just agree with me that I don't need to be guarded within the village."

"It's not that simple kid. People are on edge-"

"You said the same thing when that guy punched me. Why is that all anyone will say?" Naruto growled.

"That's because I suck at explaining things when I have no clue how much I'm allowed to say. You should have heard me trying to get Kiba and Nara off my back. It would be easier if a certain someone wasn't hiding from his friends."

"So I'm allowed to go find my friends but not go back to my own apartment? Besides, those guys recognized Sakura as my teammate. Why would I want to give them more targets to go after? So back to ANBU, why just the two of you? Are you just grandstanding?"

"How would this be grandstanding?"

"Making a show of support to scare off anymore people like that jerk that punched me. Course if you haven't realized it by now that's actually gonna make it worse to the people that already hate me. They'll either think I'm getting special treatment or that you're not guarding me, you're guarding them from me. I mean seriously, it sounds like you're just doing the Council's job for them," Naruto said.

Jiro stared back at Naruto for a moment before finally rolling his eyes to make sure that the blond in front of him understood that he was not in the least impressed or intimidated. "I thought you didn't believe any of your teammate's conspiracy theories," he said challengingly.

"No, I said I don't care about them and that I think the only reason she does is so that she doesn't have to think about what happened to her parents. I meant most of it. I think I got away with more under the Third because _he_ wasn't trying to use me. The hag favoring me is the easiest thing for them to challenge her on. If she'd drop it I could go back to training and missions and be fine for a couple of years. By then they'd be dead or too old to really challenge her anyways, she's wasting her time and Sakura's encouraging it by nagging her so much."

"Don't give Haruno that much credit. The Clan heads are encouraging it because they want the Council ousted and you're the easiest issue to push with the Hokage. And stop antagonizing my people for doing the work I assign to them."

Jiro cursed when his boss appeared next to Naruto. His words to the blond showed that he had been listening for some time. "Go catch up on your sleep," Ibiki added towards Jiro as he stared down at Naruto. "The brat's not leaving the tower for the rest of the day. And we'll see whether or not he gets the rest of what he wants tomorrow; you might be able to go back to regular duty."

"Who's bright idea was it to make you the boss?" Naruto grumbled when Jiro took off. The younger man had been easy to provoke; he was smart enough to know that he wouldn't have the same luck with Ibiki.

"The woman you charmed into becoming our Hokage. Not that she had much of a choice. My predecessor was dead and her other options included three Hyuuga's and two people who answered directly to the Council. I was least likely to have an agenda and most likely to be honest with her," Ibiki answered pushing Naruto towards the door to the tower. "I was also the one of the only ones in the entire damn division that wasn't terrified of Uchiha Itachi and didn't think you should be locked up for further observation. To be fair, the Hyuuga just wanted to learn more about the seal and your resistance to their techniques; they couldn't have cared less about you as a threat."

"Who else is crazy enough not to be terrified of Itachi?" Naruto asked turning to look back at Ibiki in amazement.

Ibiki smirked in response. "You really think you're getting any answers out of me? Jiro pities you and it caused him to fumble. I think you deserve at least half of the trouble you get into and the rest of it you deal with better than you let on; that's enough not to pity you and know I don't need to tell you a damn thing."

"Well since Itachi is after me and Jiro and Yuugao agreed to guard me...does that me _they_ don't fear him? Or do they just not realize what he can do? I mean Jiro's probably the same age as Itachi-"

Ibiki paused for a moment, his hold on Naruto's jacket caused him to pull Naruto up short as he tried to descend the stairs. "That was surprisingly quick for a good guess. Incorrect, but quick. Yuugao _is_ scared of him. But she figures that if Kakashi is willing to go up against him for your sake then she's better off defending you and hoping Kakashi shows up to take over the fight. Jiro's an idiot; he thinks Itachi has a conscience and won't attack a former teammate."

"Since you're too smart to fall for my questions and you don't pity me, why are you answering my questions any ways?" Naruto asked, looking genuinely puzzled by Ibiki's willingness to talk.

Ibiki smirked and asked back, "Why are trusting my answers? I could be lying to you."

"Those are stupid lies to tell. They don't get you anywhere unless you _want_ me to bother them for better answers," Naruto pointed out.

Ibiki's smirk widened enough that Naruto was tempted to ask how frequently he smiled. He didn't get the chance when Ibiki pushed him on the back to get him to continue down the stairs. "I answered because Kakashi was right. Haruno is more scheming than we gave her credit for and given your ability to get into trouble when you aren't getting what you want I figure my best bet for keeping you out of trouble is to give you enough to shut the both of you up for a few weeks."

"I could probably keep her out of your way for _months_ if you told me why Kakashi-sensei was in jail or house-arrest or whatever," Naruto offered.

"Where'd you hear that?"

"Rishito was trying to explain why he didn't meet him until he was like five."

"Kakashi did something that was incredibly stupid and should have landed him in jail. Instead it got him landed with parole and a load of dangerous ANBU missions because half the people he did it in front of wanted to do the same damn thing. And don't bother letting her look for the incident; it's not on record," Ibiki stated.

"Was he really let out to go after Itachi?"

"No. He refused to hunt down Itachi. He still refuses to do anything other than run interference, which is why the Hokage doesn't know how to deal with him and has been so hesitant to leave him on his own with either you or your teammate. If he hesitates at the wrong moment it could cost you your life."

"He doesn't hesitate around us. He never has," Naruto stated, turning to glare at Ibiki. Judging by Ibiki's reflexive flinch, Naruto figured his eyes were doing the weird pupil thing Kakashi had pointed out to him. "And don't bother lying. You may not pity me, but you are scared. Not of me, but of what I might be. So is the hag, that's why she won't deal with me right now. The Council is just telling her what she already fears and she doesn't want to face that."

"The Council has nothing to do with it, trust me. Her problem right now is the Daimyo. Did Kakashi's kid fail to mention that Fire Country isn't too concerned with secrecy when it comes to you?"

"He may have mentioned that..." Naruto admitted as they exited the stairway. "I can find my way to my room from here," he added, trying to pull away as they entered the public section of the building.

"Just like you can find your way out of the tower. I'll take you all the way there and this time, stay there until this evening. Let Tsunade-sama handle business uninterrupted for a few hours and then maybe she'll be able to speak with you and your teammate."

"She doesn't need to," Naruto insisted, trying to wrench his shoulder out of Ibiki's grasp.

"Yes. She does," Ibiki stated with tone of finality in his voice that Naruto was too tired to fight against. He gave up struggling and instead slouched and slowed his pace, trading glances between his feet and the man behind him.

Ibiki showed a complete lack of concern for the teen in his grasp as he stopped several times without warning to speak with various office staff and deliver orders to any ANBU personnel they passed. Naruto avoided the many curious stares he was gathering in favor of trying to retaliate for the rough treatment by slowing down even more, practically forcing Ibiki to drag him along by the collar of his jacket. When this failed to get any sort of reaction, Naruto upped the ante by using chakra to reinforce his grip on the floor. It took Ibiki ten feet to realize he was struggling to pull a boy less than half his weight and turn on Naruto in surprise. "Are you normally this childish?" Ibiki hissed.

Naruto was about to retort when he spotted one of the elders from the Council walking towards them. He immediately stopped resisting and tried to pull Ibiki away. He swore silently when Ibiki refused to move fast enough to avoid the older woman. "What's he done now?" Koharu asked, glaring down at Naruto.

Ibiki turned to glance over his shoulder at the woman with a frown on his face. Naruto's fidgeting had ceased entirely as he noticed the audience they had. "Done?" Ibiki questioned.

"Well since you're dealing with him, yes. What has he done?" she repeated.

Ibiki's eyes narrowed as he looked first at Naruto and then Koharu. "As far as I know the brat hasn't done anything today but give a few potential Academy students a tour of the village once Jiraiya-sama was finished training him," Ibiki answered, releasing Naruto's arm as nonchalantly as he could. "We were just chatting about his little run in with Hasu last week. Making sure we didn't miss anything," he added, giving Naruto an encouraging shove down the hall as Koharu's eyes narrowed in their direction.

"And did you miss anything?" she asked as Naruto took Ibiki's hint and walked off. Ibiki could see one of his men discreetly following the blond towards his room.

"Of course not. Interrogation is my specialty," Ibiki explained before turning and walking off in the direction opposite Naruto. He paused just long enough at the exit to watch as Koharu re-entered her own office. Apparently Naruto was going to have to put up with his watch dogs for a few more days.

**X**

Naruto sighed, trying to ignore his new shadow as he paused in the hallway just outside his room. Rishito was sleeping inside. He could either go in and probably wake the younger boy up...or he could try to talk with Sakura and hope she wouldn't try to crush his skull in again. Maybe even use some of what Ibiki and Jiro had told him to distract her for a few days. His new guard snickered as the blond sighed and walked back to his teammate's door and knocked hesitantly. Sakura answered much faster than Naruto had expected and, after a quick glare at the new escort, she pulled Naruto into her room and shut the door.

"Have you been bothering Rishito this whole time? I expected you to let him sleep," Sakura muttered.

Naruto opened his mouth to answer honestly and then thought better of it. "He is sleeping. I just managed to stay really quiet."

Sakura's lack of belief was written all over her face, but she left him alone in favor of turning towards the dresser in the corner of the room. She dug through the bottom drawer for a few moments before straightening up with a few folders in her hand. "I thought about what you said after I walked out," she explained, as she opened the top folder and began spreading it's contents out on the bed. "I don't believe a word of it, but I'm not going to press you for more answers without giving you something to really think about first. When you mentioned that I was trying to ignore my parents' deaths you said...you said it wasn't something you were ever going to deal with."

"I've thought about this before," she continued, pulling Naruto over towards the bed when he refused to show interest in her findings. "When you were in the hospital and talking about what Sasuke had been through because of his brother. That was the first time I really realized that you knew nothing about your family. An orphan in Konoha should know _something_ especially when you have a surname. And then today...I know you tried to cover it up by changing the topic back towards me, but you said Mizuki-sensei told you that you _were_ Kyuubi, not that it was sealed in you. Now I know that's crap; you can't be the Kyuubi. I refuse to believe that a _Hokage_ would do something that stupid. So it's sealed in you which means you had to be born. And not even being born on the day of the attack explains _this_," she stated pointing to the papers on the bed. "This is your file. And I'm not even talking about the public one, all of our public files are short, this is your _official_ file. The one only the Hokage and really high ranking members of the village can get access to. I can only find it because I'm her apprentice. The worst part is that most of this is from after Tsunade's appointment as Hokage. There's less than ten pages to document your history through our first Chuunin exam."

"What's your point Sakura?" Naruto sighed. He had really been hoping he had shut her down for at least an afternoon.

"I realized that even if you had access to this after Mizuki botched things up for you...that it still could have left you wondering. And I realized that it sounded like no one ever bothered clear it up for you. And as much I hate dealing with the fact that I am _never_ going to see my parents again, I can deal with it. But you don't even have names. You don't know if they were ninja or civilians who just got caught up in things that day. So after getting really annoyed with you today I went up to the archives determined to at least show you where your surname came from."

"So? You really think I haven't looked for it before?" Naruto asked.

"No, I'm sure you have. But you haven't been in these archives, have you?" When Naruto only shrugged in response, Sakura continued. "Here's the thing, the first time I looked for your parents, I was looking at the wrong year. The past few days, I've been looking at really specific files: civilians and ninja who died on the days leading up to, including, and immediately following the Kyuubi's attack. I looked for anything that might have suggested that they had either had an infant with them, or had been pregnant. There were a few, but I could find records that showed what happened to those babies, and most of those could be confirmed as not you. I got so annoyed that I grabbed this. I'd found him before but brushed it off because it didn't make sense. It's still odd, but it makes more sense now that I know about Kyuubi."

"Found who?" Naruto asked hesitantly, unsure whether or not it was worth it to get his hopes up.

Sakura swallowed and she hugged the folder a bit closer as she said, "I can't say for sure. His file is pretty sparse too. His name is Uzumaki Ken." Sakura offered the folder to him and continued, "He came here as a refugee. It doesn't say that he had children, but that doesn't mean that he didn't. He died about thirty years ago, but he wasn't a shinobi...or at least he wasn't once he got here so he wouldn't be on the memorial stone and he wasn't in any of the regular areas. But I kind of doubt that anyone would have gone that far out of their way to find a source for your name. I think he might be your grandfather."

"Sakura this doesn't-"

"Don't tell me it doesn't mean anything. Prove anything. How long ago did you give up figuring this out?" When Naruto didn't answer, Sakura opened the folder and held it in front of his face. "I know it doesn't explain much, if anything. But it's a start. Maybe he had children _after_ coming here – this is just a file about his application and then a note about his death. Or maybe he had siblings who had children and a different name at the time that they came here. Like they were married or something. There's a hundred different ways you could be related to him."

"And there's a hundred different ways I could _not_ be related to him. There's _no point_ Sakura. The answers aren't written down somewhere. If someone knows they aren't talking and I'm sick of finding nothing but maybe's so just cut it out. It isn't worth your time."

"Yes it is. If you won't make it worth your time then I will. You're right. Someone isn't talking. They aren't talking because you aren't pushing for answers. How many people would actually say 'no' to you if asked directly?"

"The Third didn't have a problem saying it and if anyone knew he would have. He's dead now so what's the point?" Naruto asked angrily.

"What makes you think he's the only one? Someone had to deliver you. What if you still have family? What if they just don't know what happened to you? Believe it or not, this might not just be about you. You deserve to find out and there might be someone else out there who deserves it too."

"Or maybe they're happier not knowing. Or they know and they just don't care. Weren't you the one who was just telling me how cruel and heartless the villagers really were? How much they _really_ hated me? What makes you think any family I could have aren't just as bad as the rest of them? I may deserve answers but I don't need them. And I don't know if I'll ever want them so just cut it out."

Without giving Sakura the chance to respond Naruto knocked the file out of Sakura's hands and turned for the door. He was out in the hall - door slammed behind him - before he remembered that Rishito was still sleeping in the room next door. He couldn't wander around the tower without risking another run in with Koharu and he needed to stay put anyways because someone would be coming by eventually to bring them food and he was starving. He glanced back at Sakura's door once before turning to his new guard. "You might as well just go tell your boss what you overheard. I'm not gonna sneak out again," he stated, walking towards his own room.

Naruto could feel the man's eyes on him even after the door was closed and he shivered uncomfortably, "At least the other two weren't creepy." He was actually surprised to find Rishito still sleeping. They had practically been having a shouting match just one room over. Before Naruto had even decided what to do to waste away the rest of the evening, the door creaked open and Naruto stiffened when he noticed the guard leaning against the door frame. "Will you actually stay here this time?" the man asked.

"I don't need a babysitter inside the tower," Naruto told him.

"You snuck out earlier. I heard Jiro trying to laugh it off with his girlfriend, right before she punched him for being irresponsible around you. If I lose you it'll probably be Anko or Kakashi who deals with me, and it won't be a love tap," his guard smirked.

"Whatever, I'm not allowed to go anywhere; I get it," Naruto muttered.

"Good," the man nodded, unsure if he should find Naruto's attitude hilarious or frightening. He'd leave it up to his boss to decide if it was a problem. He moved back outside the room before making the mistake of glancing back towards Naruto.

Naruto had sank to the floor in front of the bed, sighing deeply and secretly hoping it would wake Rishito up so that he would have something to do. He couldn't recall the last time he had been so restricted. His caretakers had been more likely to lock him out than in.

"Look kid..."

Naruto turned on instinct when the guard squatted down next to him – he hadn't even heard the man walk back inside the room.

"Do you have any ideas how many people died during the Kyuubi's attack?" the man asked.

Naruto's eyes widened and he tried to move away from the guard.

"Calm down, it isn't an accusation. Despite what that brat Jiro led you to believe, they aren't the only ones who _will_ work with you; just the only ones who can do so daily. All I'm saying is, your teammate had to search through _hundreds_ of files to learn that your parents probably aren't there. As much as you don't like the results of her search...don't you think you owe her a bit more than a tantrum? Stay here while you think about it. Kakashi and Rin are with the Hokage but I'll have someone track down Anko while I'm handing in my report and then I'll tell her to head here."

Naruto stared at the man in confusion and blurted out the first thing he could think of, "I think she got a date for tonight."

"Seriously? With that teacher?"

Naruto nodded and swallowed thickly.

The man frowned for a moment before shrugging. "She'd kill me if I had that interrupted. If Kakashi can't leave his meeting I'll grab something for you guys to eat and wait here til they're finished. Just...think about hearing her out."

Naruto stared at the door long after it closed, still baffled by the man's behavior. And even more annoyed by the feeling that he was supposed to know the man from somewhere. After a few minutes of impenetrable silence he slowly stood up and walked over to the desk. He opened the bottom drawer slowly, wincing when it squeaked. The bed shifted behind him and stood up assuming Rishito was finally awake. Instead he saw that the younger boy had simply rolled over. He frowned and sighed loudly again, watching as Rishito failed to respond at all. Almost. He could barely see the glint of Rishito's eyes from behind his eyelids.

Rishito's eyes fluttered a bit at the first poke, but he simply rolled over and shut them again in response. "Come on," Naruto whined. "Wake up."

"Go 'way," Rishito replied when Naruto poked again. "'M tired."

Naruto ignored the younger boy's complaint and poked once more. "If you wake up and go distract Sakura for a few hours, I'll sneak you out tomorrow morning and take you to the Academy again," Naruto offered.

Rishito remained still for a moment before rolling over and squinting at Naruto. "Really?"

"I'll even make Konohamaru show you around for the whole day. I'm sure the teachers will be so impressed they'll beg your mom to leave you there as full time student."

Rishito snorted but slipped out of the bed. "Why do I need to distract Sakura? Are you still fighting like earlier?"

"No, now she's just taking things too seriously and I'm not allowed to leave for the rest of the night so I need her distracted," Naruto said, leading Rishito to the door and ignoring the obvious signs of drowsiness as the younger boy stumbled. "Dinner will be here soon anyways. I just don't want her coming in here after me, you know?"

"You mean you don't want her to get the chance to hit you while we aren't supervised," Rishito grumbled, rubbing at his eyes as Naruto pushed him out of the room.

Naruto frowned internally at Rishito's comment but made sure to shrug it off visibly before shutting the door behind behind the younger boy and cursing the lack of locks within the tower. He waited just long enough to hear Sakura let Rishito into her room before going over to the desk and fishing around inside the bottom drawer, pulling out the white and red cloak Lady Ran had given him. He rifled through its folds for a moment before carefully setting it aside and pulling out the picture he had hidden there. "Why was he there?" Naruto muttered, staring at it.

* * *

**Agent's Spiel: **Notes on the blog. Post titled **Role of Seven - Chapter ?**


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